Deepika Padukone, eight-hour shifts in Bollywood, and speculation media — a guide

Deepika Padukone's controversial exit from Spirit sparks debate on work hours and industry practices in Bollywood.

In India, in the entertainment sphere, this has been a Deepika Padukone news week. The Bollywood actor on Saturday (June 7, 2025) officially boarded the cast of Telugu star Allu Arjun’s sci-fi magnum opus with director Atlee. The announcement, while delighting fans, arrived in a charged context: Deepika, currently on a maternity break, has waded into a controversy after her alleged fallout with the makers of Spirit, leading to her departure from the film.

Did Deepika walk out of Spirit or was she dropped? Was she fair in demanding a 10% profit share, as claimed in certain reports? Are eight-hour work shifts feasible on blockbuster film sets? Is Deepika not returning for Kalki 2? These questions have swirled around for days on social media, even as Deepika (who welcomed her daughter Dua in September last year) or her representatives are yet to comment on the issue.

As the cycle of speculation continues, here is a breakdown of how things unfolded, what is confirmed and unconfirmed, and how the film industry is responding to this moment.

Deepika Padukone was rumoured to star opposite Prabhas in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film, Spirit. However, reports emerged last month of negotiations falling through, leading to Deepika’s exit from the film. Among the reasons that emerged was the actor’s demand for an eight-hour workday clause in her contract to accommodate her new role as a parent. She also wanted — it was claimed — a remuneration of ₹20-25 crore, and extra pay for shoots extending beyond 100 days. These demands reportedly did not sit well with the film’s director, and Padukone was soon replaced by actor Triptii Dimri, who featured in Vanga’s Animal. Vanga later took to social media, fulminating against the situation and alleging ‘Dirty PR games’. Without naming Padukone, he accused her of leaking Spirit’s story and ‘undermining’ a younger female actor.

The demand for shorter and sustainable work hours is not new in Bollywood. The Indian film industry is notorious for gruelling and extended shoots. A typical film shoot can go up to 12-16 hours a day. There are problems of scheduling, location availability and coordination. While India’s labour laws restrict work to 48 hours a week, this doesn’t quite apply to a film set, which is, legally speaking, neither a factory nor a business establishment. Technicians, junior artists and daily wagers seem to suffer the most, but even top stars find their commitments overbearing, struggling to balance life and work.

In January this year, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting poor work conditions and exploitative practices in the film industry. The letter highlighted “16 to 20 hours a day without holidays, proper breaks or rest”. Actor Pankaj Tripathi, in a recent interview, revealed the same: “The work hours are getting stretched. I am working 16 to 18 hours on end.”

Radhika Apte recently asserted that the industry isn’t conducive to new mothers. Apte currently lives in London with her husband and newborn daughter. “It’s really difficult to work in our film industry, given the number of hours and how we film generally, and the time for which we don’t get to see the child. So I guess I’ll just have to figure it out now,” she told Indian Express.