Adivi Sesh Weighs In on Deepika Padukone's Reported 8-Hour Shift Request, Ethics in Filmmaking

The debate around work-life balance isn’t limited to the corporate world — even the film industry is facing its own version of it. Recently, Deepika Padukone’s decision to step away from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit reportedly over her request for shorter, 8-hour shifts stirred conversations across Bollywood and beyond. The clash highlighted the often unspoken realities of long, demanding film schedules and the personal choices actors have to make. Amid the ongoing discussion, actor Adivi Sesh has now shared his perspective on the issue.In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, the actor was asked about Deepika Padukone’s reported demand to work 8-hour shifts on the sets of Spirit. The actor said he wasn’t fully aware of the situation and therefore didn’t feel it was right to comment on it.He further added that, in general, what works for an actor and a director depends on the mutual agreement they arrive at, rather than any fixed rule.Speaking about his experience of working at various shifts, he said, "I have worked in situations where I was working with a busy character artist who could only come for 3 hours at a time for the whole week." Talking about his own experiences, Adivi Sesh shared that he has also worked in situations where actors had very limited time, sometimes just a few hours in an entire week, and the team had to adjust accordingly.The Goodachari actor explained that filmmaking isn’t like a regular 9-to-5 job. The hours depend entirely on what is agreed upon between the director and the actors, whether it’s six, eight, or even twelve hours a day. He felt that reducing it to a fixed number of hours oversimplifies the nature of film work.Since Deepika's request reportedly came from her perspective as a new mother, Adivi Sesh shared his take on it. He said such matters should always be decided in advance between the filmmaker and the actor. From a practical point of view, he pointed out that shorter shifts could stretch the schedule and push up costs, which may not always be feasible. For him, whether it’s motherhood or any other reason, the key is to have clarity and agreement from the start.