In a strong statement for equality and empathy in the film industry, Deepika Padukone has urged Bollywood to prioritize fair working hours, proper pay, and respectful treatment for crew members. Her remarks shine a light on the often-overlooked hero.
An icon of Bollywood, Deepika Padukone has, yet again, shown that her charm is not limited to the silver screen. She has stressed the urgent need for reform in the entertainment industry with respect to the working hours, pay, and fair treatment of film crew members. Her statements have triggered discussions on the need to improve the work culture back stage to all the glitz and glamour of filmmaking.
Deepika’s Stand for Crew Welfare
Deepika Padukone has always been an advocate for healthier working conditions in the film industry. Speaking about this issue let her state, “Crew members work for long hours under horrible conditions.” Hence, she would love for producers and production houses to get structured work schedules promoting the physical and emotional well-being of everyone on set.
In an old interview, She was seen telling, “I will begin with the hours that we work, especially for the crew. There is this sense that if you make people work extra hours over time and continuously, you get it done faster. My thinking is the exact opposite — if you give people enough downtime and rest, they come back with better energy. That helps them work faster, and the quality of the output is far better. One thing I could do differently is this.”
She also said, ‘’Step 2 is to be compensated for overtime. Actors still feel it is my film at the end of the day…Actors, at the end of the day, are going to walk away with the awards and the rewards, and so do the directors and everyone above board. But I think the crew come in much earlier and they leave much later.”
She said, “So, there would be some days where you would do overtime and some technical issues or something else might happen, but then we need to find a mechanism that they are at least compensated for the overtime, on an hourly basis.”
Elaborating what she feels, she said, “Number 3 – I think the kind of food that the crew is served, nutritious food needs to be served to them. This is a very small thing, but I feel that if you keep the crew happy and feed them well, they will go out of their way. The other thing that I want to do is to have a mental health expert on the set for anybody for actor or technicians. Or at least share a helpline number of a consultant to everyone whom they can talk to.”
Deepika Padukone further asserted that, despite always being ignored, the film crews are the ones really making or breaking the film. And they deserved to be paid well and in time: not just the light men, technicians but all those behind the scenes — the spot boys, runners, and assistants.
What truly struck everybody was her mentioning even the quality of food given to the crew on set, reminding everyone that dignity begins with these small day-to-day acts of care. As she thoughtfully put it, “Fair hours, fair pay, and fair treatment”.
Evolving Recognition from the Industry
Deepika Padukone believes, for the film industry, walking the pathways of vagaries arising from timetables and creative pressure, efficiency, and empathy would coexist. In her opinion, production houses should adopt modernized management techniques to make shooting as unproblematic as possible without harming human life or welfare. Her message is clear: The ethos of cinema should never be among the stars, but what does it take to be humane to its doers.