Deepika Padukone’s reported exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga‘s Spirit over the director refusing her 8-hour shift demand sparked a debate about work-life balance for actors in the industry. In an interview with Lallantop Cinema, Rana Daggubati weighed in on the matter, stating that it depends from industry to industry and person to person. (Also Read: Rana Daggubati opens up about nepotism in film industries, says ‘ultimately you have to stand in front of camera, act’)
Rana Daggubati about work-life balance
He spoke about how work-life balance is a topic of discussion in every industry, citing Narayana Murthy’s comment about a 12-hour working shift. He also spoke about how the Telugu industry moved from Madras and revealed that filmmaking is not work for him, but a lifestyle.
Talking about how work culture in cinema differs across industries, Rana said, “It depends on the project, the person, and the region. For example, in Maharashtra, it’s a 12-hour shift, while in Telugu cinema typically has an 8-hour shift starting at 7 am. Everyone has a certain mentality, and the city also gives to certain things. You are seeing it as a generic statement – it is not. If you have to shoot on a set, it depends on how much prep you need. There are films taking place on a big spectacle where only two shoots take place in a day.”
Rana Daggubati talks about the pressure on actors for long shifts
Rana also commented on the pressure actors face during long shoots, and said, “Nobody is forcing anybody. It’s a job. You can’t be forced to do a job. Everyone has their own opinion on what’s important to them in their life. There are actors who only work four hours a day – that’s their system of working. They end up doing more than what a guy in 8 hours does. It’s different for everybody, and it’s not a general discussion.”
For the unversed, after Deepika’s exit from Spirit, there were reports that Sandeep Reddy Vanga rejected some of her demands, including that of an 8-hour shift, a share in the film’s profits, and not speaking her dialogues in Telugu. Deepika recently joined Atlee’s Telugu film alongside Allu Arjun.
Meanwhile, Rana is now gearing up for the release of the second season of his show Rana Naidu. The show also stars Venkatesh Daggubati along with Arjun Rampal, Surveen Chawla, Kriti Kharbanda, Sushant Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, and Dino Morea in key roles. The new season is set to premiere on June 13 on Netflix.
