Around May 2025, Bollywood actress, Deepika Padukone backed out from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film, Spirit starring Prabhas. As per sources, the actress left the project over disputes regarding her pay, discomfort with some of the film’s content, and the working hours. As this controversy is rife, many other actors and actresses have spoken up in support of Deepika Padukone and her demands, either directly or indirectly. Many of them have especially supported having strict working hours in the film industry. Recently, renowned actor, Pankaj Tripathi expressed his views on the same.
Pankaj Tripathi recalled having to work 16-18 hours on sets
Pankaj Tripathi talked about his initial days of working on film sets as an actor with The Hollywood Reporter India and said that he remembers working 16-18 hours. The actor stated that time would just stretch while working, and he would end up working for quite a long time. Pankaj said that after shooting for so long, the actor in him has already left, and there is just a labourer left who keeps on working for over 16 hours. In his own words, Pankaj Tripathi said:
“Kaam mein khiche jaa raha hai.16 ghanta-18 ghanta ho gaya main laga hua hu. Main bol bhi raha hu, actor jaa chuka hai. Labour ruka hua hai.”