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Deepika Padukone has been in the news ever since she exited Kalki 2 and Spirit. Among other reasons, it was her demand for fixed working hours that caught everyone’s attention. Largely, Indian actors have been supportive of Deepika’s stance, given that the matter is discussed with a film’s producer beforehand. However, Deepika’s request for regulated work hours is not new. In a resurfaced interview with Film Companion, Deepika said, “I will begin with the hours that we work, especially for the crew. There is this sense that if you make people work extra hours over time and continuously, you get it done faster. My thinking is the exact opposite — if you give people enough downtime and rest, they come back with better energy. That helps them work faster, and the quality of the output is far better. One thing I could do differently is this.” Deepika added, “Step 2 is to be compensated for overtime. Actors still feel it is my film at the end of the day…Actors, at the end of the day, are going to walk away with the awards and the rewards, and so do the directors and everyone above board. But I think the crew come in much earlier and they leave much later.” She said, “So, there would be some days where you would do overtime and some technical issues or something else might happen, but then we need to find a mechanism that they are at least compensated for the overtime, on an hourly basis.” The actress mentioned, “Number 3 – I think the kind of food that the crew is served, nutritious food needs to be served to them. This is a very small thing, but I feel that if you keep the crew happy and feed them well, they will go out of their way. The other thing that I want to do is to have a mental health expert on the set for anybody for actor or technicians. Or at least share a helpline number of a consultant to everyone whom they can talk to.” Meanwhile, on the film front, despite stepping away from two major projects (Spirit and Kalki 2), Deepika has an exciting lineup ahead. She will star in King alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan. She will also join Allu Arjun and Atlee in their upcoming venture, proving that her career continues to thrive despite industry pushback.
