Kunal Kemmu comments on Deepika Padukone's 8-hour shift demand: 'Then don't say that I want to be the biggest superstar and...'

The debate around Deepika Padukone’s 8-hour shift demand began last year when she quit Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit starring Prabhas and Triptii Dimri. Most of the people in the industry have spoken about it. The new in the list is Kunal Kemmu, who gave his opinion on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast.

The actor said, “I feel that when we become 18 and when we are choosing governments of our country, we also have to choose what we want in life, what we signed up for. We sometimes say that we want to work for only so much time and want to spend time here… then you leave the job.”

Kemmu added, “Then don’t say that I want to be the biggest superstar and I want to be working in 10 films in a year. You choose what you want to do and know that it will come with its pros and cons, that you have signed up for it. You can’t say I want to get paid more and I want to work less.”

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The Gen-Z conversation

Kunal Kemmu further opined, “Of course. I am not just saying gender and actors. I am saying when we are talking about generations, like Gen Z, we have this whole conversation that Gen Z does not want to work too much and millennials used to do that. They had only so much hours, but they also had the lifestyle of chilling and doing self-exploration trips.”

“Then don’t say that the person working for 12 hours is getting paid more. That is a problem. If they are holidaying that is a problem, you cannot go because you are paid less and that is also the problem,” added the star.

Deepika Padukone finally breaks silence on 8-hour shift demand

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.