Deepika's ‘8-hour shift’ remark reignites talk on Bollywood’s gender bias as Abhishek’s old video goes viral

Deepika Padukone’s recent exit from Spirit and Kalki 2 has become a talking point in the film industry. Reports claimed her decision to stick to an eight-hour workday after embracing motherhood did not sit well with the makers. While the discussion on Bollywood’s work culture continues, an old clip of Abhishek Bachchan speaking about Akshay Kumar’s working hours has resurfaced online, adding more fuel to the debate.

The video is from The Kapil Sharma Show, where Akshay, Abhishek, and Riteish Deshmukh appeared together to promote a Housefull film. In the clip, Abhishek says, “Pack up hote hi, most excited person, Akshay Kumar. Aath ghante se zyada kaam nahi karte hain yeh. Subah saath baje aayenge set pe… turant meter chaalu.”
Riteish jokingly adds, “Time starts now.” Abhishek continues, “Aath ghante maane beech shot main kapde utre, make up nikal ke aajayenge.” The light-hearted moment has now found new context as Deepika’s remarks about industry double standards circulate across social media.

In her recent interview with CNBC-TV18, Deepika addressed how women in Bollywood are judged differently for setting boundaries. She said, “By virtue of being a woman, if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of male superstars in the Indian film industry have been working for eight hours for years, and it’s never made headlines.”

She further explained, “I don’t want to take names now and make this into a whole thing, but it’s very commonly known that many male actors work only eight hours Monday to Friday and don’t work on weekends.”

Deepika also pointed out the larger structural problem. “While the Indian film industry is called an ‘industry’, we’ve never really functioned like one. It’s extremely disorganised, and it’s about time we brought in proper systems and structure,” she said.

Her comments have sparked a wider conversation about professionalism, gender bias, and the lack of formal structure in Bollywood—a debate that continues to grow louder with every resurfaced clip and conversation.