Deepika Padukone finally breaks silence on 8-hour shift demand after Kalki 2, Spirit exit: 'We mistake burnout for...'

Deepika Padukone has finally reacted to her 8-hour demand shift post embracing motherhood, which made her exit from biggies like Kalki 2 and Spirit (both featuring Prabhas in lead roles). Defending her demand, Deepika said that people have normalised overworking and urged everyone not to confuse “burnout for commitment".

“One hundred per cent. Every cliché is true. When mothers say, ‘You’ll understand when you become one,’ it’s true. I have so much more respect for my mother now. You can plan how you think you’ll navigate work and motherhood, but the reality is very different. I feel strongly about how new mothers need to be supported when they return to work. That’s something I want to focus on," Deepika told Harper’s Bazaar.

“We’ve normalised overworking. We mistake burnout for commitment. Eight hours of work a day is enough for the human body and mind. Only when you’re healthy can you give your best. Bringing a burnt-out person back into the system helps no one. In my own office, we work eight hours a day, Monday to Friday. We have maternity and paternity policies. We should normalise bringing children to work," she added.

After her exit from Kalki 2, the actress spoke about pay parity and working conditions in an interview with  CNBC-TV18 and said, “I have done this at many levels; this is not new to me. I think, even as far as pay is concerned, I have had to deal with whatever comes with it. I don’t even know what to call it, but I am someone who has always fought my battles silently. And for some strange reason, 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 silently and in a dignified way is the way I know."