When Deepika Padukone reportedly asked for an eight-hour workday after having a baby, it brought up the question again in the film industry – she’d left two large films after talks didn’t go anywhere. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Ananya Panday have since said publicly that, if actors talk clearly and plan with producers, it is possible to have time for their children and not hold up production.
What Deepika Padukone’s problem with times was about
In 2025, stories said Deepika had left two big films because the talks had stopped working. One was a film with a famous director, the other a major follow-up film. This made people wonder if performers could make film sets have set hours.
The talk wasn’t only about eight hours a day, but other things in contracts as well. Stories mentioned she wanted a share of the profit, certain pay, and places for her team to stay. An actor was supposedly chosen to take her place in one of the roles, showing how much pressure the films were under.
Kareena Kapoor Khan on planning and being honest with producers
Kareena Kapoor Khan – who has a busy film career and two children – said the problem was about planning. She told people who interviewed her that ‘everything needs to be well planned, and performers must be clear with producers right from the start.’ If expectations are clear, producers and performers can get their times to match.
She also said how important family help was; she said ‘if you are married and have kids, and as a woman, if you don’t want to give that time, you should be able to say that this is what I want.’ Kareena said being honest early on was sensible and showed respect to everyone.
What Ananya Panday thinks about being a mother and balancing work
Ananya Panday – who has worked with Deepika before – pointed out that what people think is important can change when you become a parent. She said that before she was a mother, Deepika was fully in workshops and filming, without asking for anything special. Becoming a parent, Ananya said, changed what someone needed right now, and when they were free.
Ananya asked for performers and producers to have open talks to find ways that would work. She said that a child’s first two years often needed a parent to be there, and sensible time compromises could be made to help with that.
What fixed hours for performers could do to the film industry
The debate is about how films are made, how much they cost, and when they can be finished. If performers had set eight-hour days, more days of filming or stricter planning would be needed, and producers worry about the weather, where they’re filming, and having to organise things like a union, when the times are fixed. However, the industry is more and more often asked to make work ways more modern.
Talking things out, rather than having rules that are the same for everyone, might be the most sensible thing to do. Flexible times for people to come to set, filming in blocks, and having someone look after children on set are among things that could get the needs of people and what the films need to work together. Talking to each other is the most important thing to avoid problems at the last minute.
What performers and producers can do from now on
Producers can put in some extra money and time in budgets and plans to allow for times that have been talked about, and performers should say clearly what they can’t do, early on. Making agreements about the most hours a day, how long people have to rest, and other help, can cut down on trouble and protect both how good the films are and people’s health.
As the talk goes on, a change in the culture to being open and planning could make new standards. Deepika’s case has made people in the industry think about how to balance hard filming with reasonable family time, and whether the film world can change to what people now expect, without making the films worse.
