After Deepika Padukone, Hansal Mehta Takes A Dig At Long Work Hours: Exhaustion Normalised, Rest Became Privilege

Following Deepika Padukone’s call for reasonable work hours on film sets, director Hansal Mehta has pointed out the grueling realities of the entertainment industry. He revealed that 12-hour days are casually

referred to as “shifts,” and relentless exhaustion has become the norm. Urging reform, he stressed the importance of creating work environments that prioritise rest and humane treatment for everyone on set.

Hansal Mehta slams long work hours

He started his post with, "In our line of work, a 12-hour day is politely called a ‘shift.’ The truth is, between the chaos of shoots, the endless commute, hurried meals, and barely a few hours of broken sleep, there’s little left of us. Where does our mental health or physical well-being fit into this equation?"He added, "Weekends are rarely weekends. Breaks are looked down upon. Somewhere along the way, exhaustion became normalised and rest became a privilege. Sometimes I wonder: can this really be called an industry if it runs on the relentless draining of its people?"

He then said, "The hardest hit are those who have the least power — the daily wagers. They are always the first to arrive and the last to leave, surviving in conditions we’d call inhuman anywhere else. On television it’s worse, and now even OTT and films have slipped into the same pattern. We often celebrate the arrival of global corporations, believing they’ll bring better systems. But more often than not, they simply adapt to the broken ones we already have. Because it’s profitable."He wrapped up his post by saying that prioritising well-being - not just our own but especially of those who form the foundation of the industry would allow us to work and live better. Check out the full post here:

Recently, in an interview with CNBC-TV18, Deepika Padukone said that male superstars in the film industry have been working for 8 hours for years, yet it never made headlines. She said, “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."