Hansal Mehta skewers troll who said Deepika Padukone needs to ‘stop crying’ over work hours

After Deepika Padukone, Hansal Mehta also championed for structured working hours in the film and television industry. Here's what he said.

It seems that all anyone can talk about in the last few weeks is working hours in the film industry, thanks to Deepika Padukone taking a stand and demanding a more structured approach. Her recent interview with CNBC-TV18 only managed to reignite the conversation. Filmmaker Hansal Mehta chimed in with his own take on it on X (formerly Twitter), even responding to a troll who brought up Deepika. (Also Read: Deepika Padukone breaks silence on row over 8-hour shift demand post Spirit, Kalki 2 exit: Male superstars have been...)

Hansal Mehta seemed to mirror Deepika Padukone's sentiment when it came to working hours in the film industry.

Hansal Mehta on lack of structured work hours

Hansal penned a long note on X, detailing how in the film industry, a 12-hour workday is ‘politely called a shift.’ He revealed that the chaos of a shoot often leaves no time for anyone to consider their physical or mental well-being, stating that ‘weekends are rarely weekends’ and that breaks are often looked down upon, making rest a ‘privilege’.

“Sometimes I wonder” can this really be called an industry if it runs on the relentless draining of its people?” he questioned, adding, “The hardest hit are those who have the least power - the daily wagers. They are always the first to arrive and the last to leave surviving in conditions we’d call inhuman anywhere else. On television it’s worse and now even OTT and films have slipped into the same pattern.”

What’s more, he rued that even the global corporations that come in learn to adapt to this broken system due to its profitability. He ended the note by writing, “But first, we need to stop scoffing at the simple idea of rest. Because without that, what are we really building?”

Hansal responds to trolling on Deepika

Hansal also revealed that he once worked on a film where he finished the day’s work within 8-9 hours, but the producers would always ask him to ‘do a little more’. “Ironically, the film ended up taking longer than scheduled. Time wasn’t saved l, on the contrary it was wasted. Hours were stretched, not utilised,” he wrote.

Once X users realised that his statement was in support of what Deepika had said, they began justifying her being ousted from Spirit and the sequel of Kalki 2898 AD in the comments. An X user wrote, “Movies like bahubali and kalki needs such commitment. Prabhas does this and he reaps the reward. Without such extra commitment, movies like these would never be made. Movies are never a 9-5 job. Sometimes directors don't even sleep to give better product. Ask her to stop crying.” Responding to them, Hansal put his foot down, writing, “The trolls arrive. And IDGAFF.”

Hansal last directed The Buckingham Murders, starring Kareena Kapoor, and the web series Gandhi, featuring Pratik Gandhi and Tom Felton.