Deepika Padukone and the debate about work culture in Bollywood

Deepika Padukone has initiated an interesting debate in our film industry. Allegedly, in the forthcoming Telugu magnum opus, Spirit, directed by Sandeep Vanga Reddy, where she was to play the lead role with Prabhas of Bahubali fame, she asked for an eight-hour shift, profit sharing, pre-decided days of shooting, and inability to speak Telugu. Vanga rejected her demands, and replaced her with Tripti Dimri.
Essentially, what has created controversy is her demand for an eight-hour shift for actors. This has become a wider issue since some film personalities, like Mani Ratnam, Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn, Radhika Apte and Pankaj Tripathi, have supported her stand. Others believe it is unworkable and unjustified.
At one level, Deepika is making the request for a more regulated film industry, in which actors have the option of creating the right balance between work and leisure, career and personal life. But in any creative industry, are such strict rules feasible? Especially, in the film industry, there are so many unpredictable coordinates, that the demand—however well-intentioned—could be quite impractical. For instance, where outdoor shooting is involved, weather could play a spoilsport, inevitably delaying the number of hours actors have to shoot.
These days, big films have huge budgets riding on them. A significant proportion of such budgets goes in paying the gargantuan amounts that leading actors demand, and get. For big budget films, completing the shooting schedule in time becomes a matter of commercial priority. When a shooting takes place, the number of people involved are so large, that delays in schedule are par for the course. If a film has to be completed in time, inflexible working hours may just not be sustainable.
The more important question, however, is whether in any creative industry, work hours can be rigidly defined? Let us suppose a group of youngsters are working on an innovative start-up. Each of them is driven by passion, and the promise of money and success if the venture succeeds. Can any of them insist that to make it succeed he/she will put in only a fixed number of hours of work? In that case a more predictable 9 am to 5 pm job is the better option to opt for.
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Deepika has reached the position when she can dictate her demands. She has been working in films for the last twenty years, has an endless list of box-office hits under her belt, and is today Bollywood's highest paid female actor, getting—as per reports—as much as ₹20 to 30 crores per film, plus a share in profits. In addition, she is the highly paid brand ambassador of an entire range of top corporate houses, including Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Adidas and Levi's. She has also invested in a start-up and a self-care brand. Her husband, Ranveer Singh, is a top actor too.
But what about those who are aspirants to this same success, but still somewhere near the bottom of the ladder? Most of them would be willing to put in as many hours as are necessary in order to prove their worth and achieve stardom. I would imagine that Deepika herself, when she began her film career with the film 'Aishwarya' in Kannada (2006), would not have made the eight-hour shift her demand. She can do so now, having slogged endless hours to reach where she has. Besides, as the mother of a young daughter, Dua, she has a legitimate reason for more time available for her child and family.
The bottom line is that the chaotic rules of the film industry do need reform: better remuneration, working conditions, health and pension benefits for the army of support staff, greater gender parity, and far more financial transparency. If Deepika's demand ignites a larger debate on these questions, it would be a good thing.
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Unfortunately, in life, one cannot always have one's cake and eat it too. Are any of our top film stars, who now want more time for their family, willing to reduce their fee so that films cost less and working hours to complete it can be regulated in conformity with commercial viability? How many of those who are now pontificating on greater work-life balance, would have made this a priority when they were still struggling and far from the success they now enjoy?
It is said that S.D. Burman, the acclaimed music composer, used to wake up in the middle of the night driven by the inspiration of a new composition, and would immediately call up the lyricist and musicians to try it out. What if these colleagues had turned round and told him that they work eight hours and no more?
Deepika ji, it is understandable that you have allegedly made this demand. But I think in any creative industry outside the 9am to 5pm job format, what you can afford to ask for now may not be backed by those who want to reach where you have, or by those directors, producers and their associates, who have helped you reach there.
Pavan K Varma is author, diplomat, and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). Just Like That is a weekly column where Varma shares nuggets from the world of history, culture, literature, and personal reminiscences. The views expressed are personal.

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