Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone has been the talk of the town since the last few months, and one of the biggest reasons behind this is her exit from two much-awaited films. The first was Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit with Prabhas, where Triptii Dimri replaced DP. The next was the upcoming sequel to Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan’s Kalki 2898 AD. Speculations suggest that Deepika’s exit from both the projects was caused due to her demand for an 8-hour shift as a new mother. A lot was said about this, by celebs and fans across the internet. Well, Deepika has finally broken her silence on the topic.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, talking about the pushback that she is receiving, Deepika Padukone shared, “By virtue of being a woman if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of superstars, male superstars in the Indian film industry have been working for 8 hours for years and it’s never made headlines.” She went on to add, “I don’t want to take names now and make this into this whole thing but it’s very commonly, publicly known about a lot of male actors who have been working for 8 hours for years. A lot of them work only Monday to Friday, they do not work on weekends.”
Deepika claimed that the Indian film industry is very disorganised and it’s time a system was brought into this culture. Talking about her requested working conditions, the actor shared, “I have done this at many levels; this is not new to me. I think, even as far as pay is concerned, I have had to deal with whatever comes with it. I don’t even know what to call it, but I am someone who has always fought my battles silently. And for some strange reason, sometimes they become public which is not the way I know and not the way I’ve been brought up. But yes, to fight my battles silently and in a dignified way is the way I know.”
Deepika has lost two projects, but she still has two exciting movies in her kitty. She will be joining Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan in King and also has Atlee and Allu Arjun’s next in her line up.
