Radhika Madan supports Deepika Padukone's 8-hour shift demand: 'Male actors are given that privilege'

Time of India

3 days ago

As the dialogues continue around the grueling nature of shoot schedules,
Radhika Madan
has also expressed her displeasure regarding the imbalance of hours between male and female actors in the industry, having appeared in 'Angrezi Medium', 'Pataakha', 'Shiddat', and 'Sarfira'.
The topic gained recent attention following
Deepika Padukone
's departure from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's upcoming film Spirit, where she was said to have asked for an eight-hour workday, which prompted renewed discussion around work-life balance and gender inequity within Bollywood.
Radhika Madan on eight-hour shoot days
The actress told Hindustan Times that she has had both 12-to-14-hour days of shooting and shorter days of eight hours. She believes that the work itself is the same, but working against deadlines allows the team to be more committed and concentrated, therefore, the shoot takes place within that time.
She said she has seen films filmed, and released, and even be box office successes, all under these turns of time, and if she had not seen it herself, she would not have believed it to be possible to work and achieve, within working hours.
On equality in Bollywood
At a recent event, Radhika addressed the ongoing discussion regarding workplace equality in the Bollywood industry. She added that whenever women stand by working conditions equal to their male counterparts, those demands should be treated as commonplace rather than unreasonable claims.
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She affirmed that these kinds of discussions can be collaborative when the respect and understanding are mutual, and she also pointed out that part of the concern comes from the availability of time privileges that some male actors have but not many women.
Touching upon her own experience with professional burnout, Madan recalled the toll of working across seven projects in a single year. She shared that the emotional weight of multiple roles affected her deeply, leading to depression and forcing her to seek help.
According to her, the industry needs to recognize the reality of burnout and move towards greater equality—without favouring male actors with special treatment.
Recalls her marathon shoot days
During a recent YouTube vlog with Farah Khan, the actress revisited her debut experience and the grueling schedule that came with it. When Farah remarked that Radhika probably didn't have an eight-hour shift on her first show, Radhika responded that she had endured non-stop shoots lasting 48 to 56 hours. Farah then added her own perspective, noting that she doesn't advocate for the eight-hour work model either, quipping that such relentless effort is what creates something truly valuable—comparing it to how gold is forged through intense pressure.