Updated 2 December 2025 at 21:02 IST
Dulquer Salmaan, Rana Daggubati Side With Spirit Makers After Deepika Padukone Raises 8 Hour Workday Demand: Going Extra Hours on a Day is Cheaper
Dulquer Salmaan, Rana Daggubati have shared their candid opinions on the 8-hour workday debate that has split the movie industry. The actors, who are also producers, have disagreed with Deepika Padukone's demand that allegedly led to her exit from Prabhas' Spirit.
Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati have weighed in on the ongoing industry-wide debate over introducing 8-hour work shifts, disagreeing with Deepika Padukone's stand. A demand for a regulated workday and fixed working hours was allegedly raised by the Piku actress, but they were not met, leading to her exit from Prabhas' Spirit and later even Kalki 2898 AD. Actors Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati, who have also donned the hats of movie producers, have shared why the actress's demands are unfeasible and lead to a rise in the cost of filmmaking.
This is not a job, it’s a lifestyle: Rana Daggubati 's strong dismissal of the 8-hour workday demand
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Baahubali actor Rana Daggubati explained in detail why the 8-hour workday demand is not feasible for actors. He said, “This is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. You either choose to be in it or not. Each film will govern and ask for something else. It’s not a factory. It’s not like we sit for eight hours and the best scene is going to come out. Unless the top brass involved understands that they are creating a story and are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen, it doesn’t trickle down. It’s hard to define it as an industry standard.”
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Dulquer Salmaan reasons that production costs are the reason behind not implementing an 8-hour workday
In the same conversation, the Hi Nanna actor shared, “In Malayalam, you just keep going, and you don’t know when you’ll finish. But it would’ve been a great, gruelling, hard day. When I did my first Telugu film, it was the first time in my acting career that by six I could go home. It was starkly different from shooting in Tamil, where second Sundays are off. I remember thinking that when I produce, I would do it differently. But there’s not much you can do. Going extra hours on a day is cheaper than shooting an additional day.”
Deepika Padukone's reported demand for 8-hour work shifts has fueled widespread conversations across the industry about the demands of long shooting hours and the importance of work-life balance.
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Published By : Shreya Pandey
Published On: 2 December 2025 at 21:00 IST