Madhuri Dixit has stepped into the centre of the ongoing debate over 8-hour work shifts in Bollywood, a conversation triggered after reports claimed Deepika Padukone exited Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film Spirit because she insisted on shorter shooting hours.
The discussion has since widened into a larger industry introspection about long working days, health, and the right to negotiate work-life balance.
Speaking to ANI, Madhuri kept her stance clear and anchored in personal choice. She said, “The thing is that when we did Mrs Deshpande, we were working 12-hour shifts every day, maybe more sometimes. So I think to each his own. I’m a workaholic. So for me, maybe it’s different, but if a woman has that power and can say, okay, I want to work these many hours, then that’s her prerogative… then more power to her.”
Her comment lands at a moment when the industry is split between two camps. One believes the traditional 12–14 hour film-shoot culture is outdated and unsustainable. The other, largely represented by older-generation stars, sees flexibility as a matter of mutual agreement, not regulation.
Madhuri’s view falls somewhere in the middle. She isn’t dismissing the need for change, but she’s maintaining that the decision must lie with the individual actor. “That’s her life, and that’s how she wants to do it,” she added, reinforcing that no performer should be judged for negotiating boundaries.
Rani Mukerji echoed a similar sentiment earlier this week, explaining that negotiations over working hours aren’t new. “These things are up for conversation today because maybe people are discussing it outside. But this has been the norm with all professions. I’ve also done it where I have worked for certain hours. If the producer’s okay with it, you go ahead with the film. If the producer isn’t okay with it, you don’t make the film. So it’s also a choice. Nobody is forcing anything on anybody,” she said.
The renewed debate comes as Bollywood grapples with tighter schedules, rising budgets, increasing safety concerns, and changing attitudes around mental health. For many younger actors, shorter days are a step toward healthier sets. For veterans, it’s about preserving the freedom to choose the pace of their work.
Madhuri’s career itself is proof of a time when long hours were non-negotiable. From Dil, Beta, Hum Aapke Hain Koun to Parinda, Mrityudand, Pukar and Lajja, she worked through punishing schedules while navigating motherhood. Her award-winning turn as Chandramukhi in Devdas, her later outings in Dedh Ishqiya, Total Dhamaal, The Fame Game and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 all came from the same discipline she now calls a personal trait, not an industry rule.
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