Deepika Padukone spoke about Bollywood’s double standards and eight-hour work demands.
She addressed her exits from Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD amid scheduling and gender-bias issues.
Despite controversies, she is working on King and emphasizes mental health and professional boundaries.
In a recent candid interview that aired on CNBC-TV18, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone opened up about the double standards in Bollywood. She talked about her departure from high-profile projects like “Spirit” and “Kalki 2898 AD” and the controversy surrounding the eight-hour work shift. The interview was a segment focused on prioritising mental health, where the actress shared her journey with depression and addressed the controversies surrounding her.
Deepika continued that she requested an eight-hour work shift to strike a healthy balance between her professional commitments and personal well-being. She even made the point that no one questions when a male actor does the same. She said, “If by virtue of being a woman that comes across as pushy, so be it,” highlighting the point that “many male superstars have worked limited hours for years, and it has never made headlines.”
The discussion comes after Padukone’s withdrawal from two major projects – Spirit and the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD. She reportedly stepped away from Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and starring Prabhas, owing to some creative disagreements and her demands for fixed working hours. Later, Tripti Dimri was announced as her replacement. This caused quite a stir online, which further intensified when she walked away from the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD.
As for the Kalki 2898 AD sequel, Deepika was originally expected to continue in her role from the first part. However, the producers issued a statement on X about her not being a part of the movie anymore because of scheduling and commitment issues. There was even speculation that her stepping out may be due to her eight-hour work requirements paired with the updated terms of compensation. Although the Om Shanti Om actress did not comment on any of the incidents directly in the interview, her remarks on gender bias point toward these cases.
These issues have led to online discussions among netizens for quite some time now. While some point out that a time-bound schedule is not possible in the entertainment industry, others are favouring Deepika’s stance as a standard practice across the globe. People from the industry, like director Siddharth P. Malhotra and filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, have come out in support of her position.
Padukone even claimed that the industry is not well-organised and needs to be restructured and changed. She said things have remained the same out of convenience, which has led to debates on professionalism and equality in Bollywood She further highlighted that there are other new mothers who are following the same fixed working hour schedule but have gained no attention, pointing towards an alleged targeting.
Deepika Padukone talked about mental wellness and depression too in the video. It should also be noted that she has been surrounded by quite some controversies in recent times, the most recent one being the advertisement controversy. She wore a hijab in the advertisement as the ambassador of Dubai tourism which angered netizens online because of her earlier remarks on wearing a bindi.
She is now working on her new projects despite the online controversies and disturbances. She has begun filming her sixth film in collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan called “King”. There has been no updates related to the storyline or the release dates and the movie is presently in production. [RhOG/SY]
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