Drishyam 3 actor Ishita Dutta backs Deepika Padukone on eight-hour shifts

Ishita Dutta, seen most recently in Drishyam 3, has backed Deepika Padukone's call for an eight-hour working day. She says the request is not an unreasonable one.

In an interview, the actress separated saying no from making fun of the request. "I'm saying giving it or not (8 hour shift) is your personal choice, so production can say no but making a big deal about it and trying to not justify it that is where the problem lies," she said.

Plenty of actors will happily work 12 to 15 hours a day, Ishita added, and producers are free to cast them. In her view, what they should not do is belittle a colleague by calling the ask unreasonable.

As a mother of two, she spoke from her own experience. She has worked longer days herself, but the makers she worked with were considerate and let her leave early. "You need to have a baby to realise how much of it goes," she said. She also admitted she would probably make the same demand if she could, adding, "I don't think I'm there yet."

The eight-hour debate picked up in 2025, after Deepika left Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit and Nag Ashwin's sequel to Kalki 2898 AD. Her demand for shorter working hours was among the reasons given for both exits. Deepika later answered the criticism by pointing out that several male superstars had worked eight-hour shifts for years without facing the same questions.