Yami Gautam defends Deepika Padukone’s 8-hour shift demand, says male stars have done it for decades: ‘It’s an issue when a woman says it’ | Bollywood News

Actor Yami Gautam recently came out in support of Deepika Padukone’s stance on working an 8-hour shift. Deepika had made headlines after she reportedly exited two high-profile projects — Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD sequel — because her demand for an 8-hour shift after becoming a mother wasn’t met. Recently, Yami, who also gave birth to her son Vedavid last year, defended Deepika’s decision.
In an interview with Times Now News, Yami Gautam said, “Whether a woman is working or a homemaker, every mother is special and does everything she can for her child. As much as we would like a time cap like any other field, but ours is a little different. Locations, permissions, permutations, combinations, other actors, technicians, there are so many things. So this whole concept of time cap, for me is very subjective to an actor, a producer and a director collaboration and the understanding.”
Yami also pointed out how many male stars work only 8-hour shifts and avoid weekends, maintaining a healthy work-life balance. However, when a female star asks for the same, it often turns into a controversy.
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“This is something that has been happening for decades. There are actors who shoot for only eight hours a day, shoot five days a week, they don’t do night shoots. This is pre-decided among the director, producer and the actor. So why is it that if a female actor has said, it has become an issue. At the end of the day we are human beings making art and emotions in very odd circumstances. So I don’t think there is anything wrong on asking about time if it suits the production. If it suits, they go ahead with it, if it doesn’t, they don’t,” she added.

After her exit from the films, Deepika maintained a long silence. However, she recently spoke about not being afraid to question the status quo and demanding better work-life balance for everyone in the industry. “When I began my journey, I was often told how a woman must or is expected to navigate her career in order to be successful. However, from the very beginning, I was never afraid to ask questions, ruffle feathers, walk a more difficult path and challenge the status quo in order to reshape the mould we have all been expected to fit into,” she had said.