Saba Azad supports Deepika Padukone’s 8-hour shift demand: ‘Want to show woman her place’

Also Read: ‘I feel so thankful’: Saba Azad strips away celebrity glamour to talk about people who truly matter

“There was an upswing which lasted till the early 2000s, then it plateaued, and then it crashed. I won’t go into the political reasons of why it has happened; patriarchy doesn’t serve anyone, least of all men. It makes it impossible for men to have emotions, to say no, or to cry. There are so many unnecessary expectations the patriarchy puts on women and men. Nobody is having a good time within that system, and we have a long way to go,” Saba Azad added.

Sharing about how women are treated in the film industry, Saba Azad added, “The field of art has been leaps and bounds ahead of society; it challenges society’s perception. There is so much more work for women in our industry now; it is so much better. But do we have pay parity? No, we don’t. Do we respect women who have just given birth and are asking for 8-hour days? No, we don’t, we are still struggling with that. We are still unable to give women that without showing them their place, so to speak. We are doing better; there is a lot more content for women, and there is no clear hierarchy if you get married anymore. It is so much better in terms of roles for married women or older women; OTT can be thanked for that. Content is winning over stardom.”

Deepika Padukone’s 8-hour shift controversy

In 2025, actress Deepika Padukone’s exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalk 2898 AD led to speculations about the actress making ‘unfair demands’ from producers. Deepika had asked for an 8-hour working shift, which allowed her to strike a balance between work commitments and motherhood. However, her demand did not sit well with producers, leading to Deepika making an exit from the following projects. Talking about her 8-hour work shift demand to Brut India, Deepika had said it was “ridiculously unfair”.

She had said, “I don’t think what I am asking for is ridiculously unfair, and I think only someone who has worked in the system enough will know the conditions that we work in. And I am saying this, if I may say so myself, a top star, so you can only imagine what the working conditions must be like for everyone else, for the crew, for example. I am not the first one who has asked for something like this. In fact, there are a lot of actors, male actors, who have been working on an 8-hour shift for years, and it’s never made headlines. I wouldn’t know if it’s a gender thing or not. But what I can definitely say is I am definitely advocating for a better work-life balance and a better working environment and better working conditions, and if that doesn’t work for somebody, we’re not obligated to work with each other.”

 

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In another interview with CNBC 18, Deepika Padukone had said, “By virtue of being a woman, if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of superstars, male superstars, in the Indian film industry have been working for eight hours for years, and it’s never made headlines. A lot of them only work for eight hours Monday to Friday. They do not work on weekends.”

While Deepika’s demand met with mixed reactions from the industry, Hrithik Roshan’s girlfriend, Saba Azad, joined the debate recently, supporting the actress. On the work front, Deepika Padukone will be next seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s King. On April 19, the actress also announced her second pregnancy.