Rani Mukerji Backs Flexible Work Hours in Film Industry Amid Deepika Padukone Row

As discussions around work-life balance in the film industry continue to gain momentum, actor Rani Mukerji has offered her perspective on the matter, particularly in light of reports surrounding Deepika Padukone’s request for an eight-hour workday. Deepika's reported demand, which allegedly led to her exit from Spirit — a film directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and starring Prabhas — has sparked fresh conversations about working conditions, especially for women in the industry.

Speaking to ANI, Rani reflected on her own experience of balancing motherhood and work during the filming of her 2018 film Hichki. At the time, her daughter Adira was just 14 months old. “I was still breastfeeding her,” Rani shared. “I had to pump milk early in the morning and leave for the shoot by 6:30 a.m., as the location was almost two hours away due to traffic. My first shot was at 8 a.m., and I would wrap up by 12:30 or 1 p.m.” She added that her team and director were very supportive and organized, which helped her return home by 3 p.m., before the traffic got worse. “That’s how I completed the film,” she said.

Rani emphasized that the idea of flexible working hours in the film industry is not new, but it is finally being discussed in the open. “These things have always existed. It’s just that now people are talking about it publicly,” she said. According to her, the decision to work fewer hours should be a mutual agreement between the actor and the producer. “If the producer agrees, you go ahead. If not, you opt out. Nothing is forced,” she noted.

She also pointed out the double standards that female actors often face, especially after becoming mothers. “Men don’t have to go through a physical transformation,” she said. “Women, on the other hand, go through both physical and emotional changes. But I’m very happy being a woman.”

Rani recently received the Best Actress award at the 71st National Film Awards for her role in Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway, a powerful film based on the real-life story of Sagarika Chakraborty’s battle to reclaim her children from the Norwegian foster care system.

Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone is currently busy shooting for King, an upcoming film starring Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Arshad Warsi.