Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s call for 12-hour workdays upset many techies who questioned why Indians need such pressure when nations like the UAE move toward a four-day workweek and many developed countries promote working for pleasure instead of burnout-driven schedules.
They also question about health hazards and pressure in personal lives with these draconic working hours.
A similar debate is now visible in the film industry. Ever since Deepika Padukone spoke about proper 9-6 work shifts, several heroines have echoed her concerns.
Rashmika Mandanna recently said that extended work hours harm both actors and technicians.
Keerthy Suresh has now provided the clearest breakdown of how demanding film schedules actually are.
Keerthy said she has worked 9-6, 9-9 and even 9-2 shifts, sometimes shooting two films in one day.
She explained that a 9-6 shift requires waking up at 5.30 am, reaching the set by 7.30, shooting till evening, travelling back, working out, eating, and sleeping only around 11.30 pm.
This gives actors barely six hours of sleep. In 9-9 shifts, rest drops to four or five hours. Technicians, who arrive earlier and wrap up later, sleep even less.
She added that Telugu and Tamil industries follow 9-6 shifts, but Hindi and Malayalam setups mostly run 12-hour days, with Malayalam teams sometimes getting only 3-4 hours of sleep.
Though not directly, these actresses seem to be 'indirectly' slamming the Narayana Murthy's idea of longer workweeks.
Well, work must be pleasure, not pressure, and every industry, be it IT or Cinema, should shape its schedules around human well-being.
A healthy life, balanced rest and meaningful productivity should define the way we work, no matter the profession or demands involved.
