‘Kudos To Her’: Arjun Reddy Star Shalini Pandey Reacts To Deepika Padukone's 8 Hour Shift Demand

Deepika Padukone’s exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirit’ a few months ago hit the headlines after it was reported that the actress’ demands didn’t sit well with the director. Several media reports suggested

that she had put forth some demands, including an 8-hour shift, since she recently embraced motherhood. More recently, her exit from Prabhas starrer Kalki 2 garnered a lot of attention. Shalini Pandey, who starred in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Arjun Reddy, has now reacted to Deepika Padukone’s reported 8-hour shift demand. She praised the ‘King’ actress, and said that she deserves whatever she wants.

Shalini Pandey On Deepika Padukone’s Shift Demand

While speaking with Hindustan Times, Shalini Pandey praised Deepika Padukone for being vocal about what she wants. “I love Deepika Padukone. I have seen her when I was in college, school. And I have followed her journey. She is an incredible actor. She is also this woman who has spoken what she wanted to. Even when it comes to mental health. She was the first one to speak about mental health. Kudos to her for setting a precedent for us to be okay about advocating for mental health. She is incredible, so she should get whatever she wants,” said Shalini, while reacting to Deepika’s ouster from movies and work shift demand.

Shalini was also asked about actresses in power advocating for equal pay in the film industry. She replied, “Abhi hum bahut dur hain (to demand) for things like equal pay. I’m glad that women in power, like (veteran actor) Shabana Azmi have been fighting for the needs and rights of women. They have helped my generation, and now it’s my duty to ask for things that I deserve. We may not get it every time, but I will still keep fighting and set a precedent for women.”

Deepika Padukone Says Male Actors Have Been Working 8-Hour Shifts For Years

In a recent interview with CNBC-TV18, Deepika Padukone called out the glaring double standards in Bollywood: “By virtue of being a woman if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of superstars, male superstars in the Indian film industry have been working for 8 hours for years and it’s never made headlines.”

She further added, “I don’t want to take names now and make this into this whole thing but it’s very commonly, publicly known about a lot of male actors who have been working for 8 hours for years. A lot of them work only 8-hours Monday to Friday, they do not work on weekends.”