Filmmakers Dulquer Salmaan, Rana Daggubati, Archana Kalpathy and Vikramaditya Motwane were recently seen chatting during a roundtable conversation. During the chat, the team reacted and talked about Deepika Padukone’s request for 8-hour shooting shifts in the film industry.

Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati react to Deepika’s demand for 8 hour shift

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Dulquer Salmaan said, “In Malayalam cinema, you just keep going. The cast and crew clap as soon as they hear ‘Pack Up’ because no one knows when it’s going to end. Adding extra shooting days is a huge burden on the producer. Instead, everyone must put in extra effort or work extra hours to finish the work on the previous day itself.”

The Loca producer revealed that even when he wants to give someone on the production team a day off, the cast and crew refuse to take it and instead try to finish the work and then go home.

Furthermore, Rana Daggubati said in the conversation, “Cinema is not a job but a lifestyle. You can either choose to be in it or not. It’s not like a factory where you finish shooting in eight hours. We can sit for eight hours and get the best scene, or sit for fifty hours and get nothing.”

GOAT producer Archana Kalpathy also joined the discussion and said that strong pre-production always helps in such situations. She insisted that no more than 10% of the production budget should be spent when making a film, and also said that she would never work with a director without this clarity.

He concluded, “A 9 to 5 schedule is not feasible for me… We all signed up for this madness.”

Vikramaditya Motwani said that thorough planning can make the long run manageable. The filmmaker advocated consent and transparency, commenting that if everyone is informed in advance about long working hours, it is acceptable.

Debate on Deepika Padukone’s 8 hour shift

For those unaware, the producers’ comments come after a huge debate over working hours in Indian cinema, which started after Deepika Padukone refused to work more than eight hours a day during filming.

The actress had reportedly walked out of films like Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD due to failed negotiations.