Last Updated:March 09, 2026, 08:59 IST

Supriya Pathak supports Deepika Padukone’s demand for 8-hour work shifts in the film industry, saying actors need proper time to prepare and maintain balance.

Supriya Pathak supports Deepika Padukone’s demand for 8-hour work shifts.

Veteran actress Supriya Pathak has come out in support of Deepika Padukone’s fixed work hours demand in the film industry. Following Kareena Kapoor, Ananya Panday and several other actors in the industry, now Supriya Pathak has also shared her opinion on the ongoing 8-hour shift debate.

Sharing her thoughts, Supriya said that it is very important for actors to get the time to prepare and, while backing Deepika’s demand for fixed working hours, she said in an interview with Bollywood Bubble, “As an actor, I am the one facing the audience. And when you face an audience, you need to be prepared. If you don’t give me the time to prepare myself, how will I face them? So I think it’s very important that actors, whether male or female, are given the time to prepare.”

Further, while comparing how females often have 20 things to think about while men can focus on one, Supriya added, “I feel our brains are thinking about twenty things at the same time, while a man’s brain often focuses on one thing. Their challenges are different, ours are different, which is why we need balance.”

She concluded, “I believe women are empowered within themselves. Sometimes we just don’t ignite that power. But if we get even a small spark, we can become a very powerful firecracker.”

Everything About the 8-Hour Work Shift

For the unversed, the work-life balance debate in Bollywood started after Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Deepika Padukone parted ways from Prabhas-starrer Spirit earlier this year. Reports suggest that her demands, including eight-hour workdays, a high salary, and a share in the film’s profits, did not sit well with director Vanga. Deepika, a new mother, is reportedly seeking to balance her work and personal life by reducing her working hours.

Deepika Padukone spoke exclusively to CNBC-TV18 when she addressed the ongoing debate surrounding working conditions and pay parity in Bollywood and said, “I have done this at many levels; this is not new to me. I think, even as far as pay is concerned, I have had to deal with whatever comes with it. I don’t even know what to call it, but I am someone who has always fought my battles silently. And for some strange reason, sometimes they become public, which is not the way I know and not the way I’ve been brought up. But yes, to fight my battles silently and in a dignified way is the way I know.”

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