Ever since Deepika Padukone demanded 8-hour working shift, a big debate has erupted in the entire industry. While many celebs spoke in favor of it, some called it a personal choice.
Many eminent personalities termed the demand for 8-hour shift as unnecessary. Now actor Rajendra Chawla has spoken on the demand of 8-hour working shift, and has given a blunt answer. Rajendra Chawla has said that such shifts are common in the corporate world and those who cannot manage the industry should leave it. He also called the demand for an eight-hour shift ‘disgusting’ and told the circumstances under which he himself lived.
Rajendra Chawla started his acting career in 1998 and has worked in many films and TV serials in his decades-long career. Today, actors have every kind of facility and even a vanity van, but in Rajendra Chawla’s time, actors neither had a vanity van nor a large staff. What’s more, the actors had to change their clothes in the open and had to work for long hours. Currently Rajendra Chawla is seen in the series ‘Freedom at Midnight Season 2’.
Rajendra Chawla spoke on the demand of actors for 8 hour shift
During a conversation with ‘Bollywood Bubble’, Rajendra Chawla was asked about the current debate and the demand of 8-hour shifts by the actors. On this he said, ‘I believe that if you are coming into this industry, then you have to understand from the first day that this is how work works. You have to accept that shifts are of 12-14 hours because the workload has increased a lot.
‘If this is not acceptable then do some 9-5 job and be happy there’
He further said, ‘For example, for a daily soap, 22-25 minutes of content has to be given. Now amidst all this, if you keep worrying about whether I will work for 8 hours or 5 hours, then how will the work be completed? If you have joined this race, then you have to run accordingly. If you can’t accept this, then get a 9 to 5 job and be happy there. Nobody has forced you to come here. It is better to sleep tired than to sleep disappointed.
Rajendra Chawla told what were the conditions in his time and how many facilities are there today
Rajendra Chawla then compared the actors of today’s era with the actors of his era and said that the actors of the present era are doing better and are in a better position. He told that when he started his career, what kind of days he had to face and how the situation is now. Rajendra Chawla said, ‘Now things have become much better for actors. Now everyone has their own vanity van and team. In our times, women and heroines used to change their clothes in the open and behind trees. There were no AC make-up rooms or floors. People like Amitabh Bachchan used to sit in the sun wearing their full costumes. Nowadays, if people don’t get their shot, they go in the vanity van.
‘We lived in a room full of insects and were given a sleeping mat.’
Rajendra Chawla again gave an example and said, ‘Once when I was working on the TV show ‘Saas Bina Sasural’, a supervising producer came to me. He told me that sir, we never get any complaint about you. You never say anything. I asked him what should I complain about? When I used to go to theater shows, we used to sleep in rooms full of insects. They used to give us mats to sleep on. You people have given me a vanity van, fruits and a sheet with my name written on it, what should I complain about?’
Deepika Padukone said this on the demand of 8 hours work, walked out of 2 films
It is known that the issue of demanding 8-hour shift started when the news of Deepika Padukone’s removal from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film ‘Spirit’ came. It was said that the actress had asked for an 8-hour shift from the makers and put pressure on them. Later Deepika also reacted on this issue in an interview. The actress had said that there are many male actors who work only 8 hours a day and do not work at all on weekends. Deepika had said that the time has come to change the film industry. It is known that due to the demand of 8 hour shift, Deepika had to opt out of ‘Spirit’ as well as ‘Kalki 2898 AD’.