Long days on film sets may look glamorous from the outside but for many actors, they come at a personal cost. The conversation around exhausting work schedules in Bollywood has been growing louder and actor Radhika Apte is the latest to speak openly about it. In a recent interview, she shared what she would change about the film industry if given the chance and her answer was clear — the culture of long working hours needs serious reform.
Radhika Apte explained that she has repeatedly found herself in disagreements with producers over refusing to work for excessively long shifts. She pointed out that it is unreasonable to expect people, especially parents, to go through an entire week without spending meaningful time with their children. According to her, the struggle to demand humane working conditions is far tougher than people might imagine and she finds it puzzling that such basic needs still require intense negotiation. She also addressed the common suggestion of bringing kids with nanny on set, saying that this does not truly solve the deeper issue of work-life balance.
The actress shared that she strongly believes in a structured work system, ideally a five-day work week with shifts capped at 12 hours. For her, those 12 hours include everything from travel time to hair, makeup and the actual shoot. If travel takes longer, she feels schedules should be adjusted accordingly. While she acknowledged that rare exceptions may be necessary, especially for smaller projects with genuine limitations, she described these boundaries as largely non-negotiable. Radhika Apte also revealed that her firm stance has not always been well received within the industry.
For those unfamiliar with the wider debate, discussions around work-life balance gained momentum last year after director Sandeep Reddy Vanga reportedly dropped Deepika Padukone from Prabhas-starrer Spirit. Reports suggested that Deepika’s requests for shorter workdays, along with remuneration-related demands, did not align with the director’s expectations. As a new mother, Deepika was said to be trying to balance her professional commitments with her personal life.
Amid this ongoing conversation, several well-known names including Vikrant Massey, Rashmika Mandanna, Yami Gautam and Anurag Basu have publicly supported Deepika Padukone, highlighting that the demand for healthier working hours is no longer an isolated concern but an industry-wide reality.
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