Deepika Padukone breaks silence on work shift, pay demands after walking out of Kalki 2898 AD sequel and Spirit: 'Lot of male superstars...'

Addressing the contentious debate on work shift hours, Deepika Padukone explained that she prefers to tackle her battles with silent dignity.

Written by Mohit Dixit , Journalist

Updated on Oct 09, 2025 | 10:08 PM IST | 515K

Deepika Padukone breaks silence on work shift, pay demands after walking out of Kalki 2898 AD and Spirit: 'Lot of male superstars...' (Credits: Deepika Padukone's IG)

Deepika Padukone finally broke the silence on working hours and pay hike demands, which led her to walk out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit and Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD sequel. In a candid conversation with CNBC, the Padmaavat actress poured her heart out, stating that no one questioned male stars and superstars who had been following an 8-hour work shift for years.

The actress said, "By virtue of being a woman, if that's coming across as being pushy or whatever, so be it. But, it is no secret that a lot of male superstars in the Indian film industry have been working for 8 hours for years, and it has never made headlines." She further added that she didn't want to take names or make headlines, but many male actors don't even work on weekends; they only work 8 hours a day from Monday to Friday.

Deepika asserted that it's time to organise the film industry and bring some system. "We really never worked as an industry. We are a very disorganised industry, and I think it's time that we brought in some system and work culture," added the Kalki 2898 AD actress.

Soon to be seen in King alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika underlined that she loves to fight her battles silently and in a dignified way. "I have done this at many levels, this is not new to me, I think even as pay is concerned you know I have had to deal with with whatever comes with you know, I don't I don't even know what to call it but I am someone who always fought my battles silently and for some strange reasons sometimes they become public which is not the way I know and not the way I've been brought up but yes, to fight my battles and to do it silently and in a dignified way is the way I know," concluded the actress.

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