# Ishita Dutta backs Deepika Padukone’s eight-hour shift demand 2026-10-15T07:18:08+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Actor Ishita Dutta has backed Deepika Padukone's demand for an eight-hour workday, calling it reasonable and saying production houses should not belittle those who make such requests. In an interview with the Free Press Journal, the Drishyam 3 star said actors who are willing to work 12 to 15 hours should not be used to undermine colleagues with different needs. Dutta, a mother of two, added that motherhood is hard to understand without experiencing it firsthand. The debate over working hours follows Deepika Padukone's reported exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Spirit' and the 'Kalki 2898 AD' sequel in 2025 over eight-hour shift demands. Several actors, including Sonakshi Sinha, Kareena Kapoor, Ananya Panday and Saba Azad, have supported Padukone. Dutta acknowledged she is not yet in a position to demand shorter hours herself, pointing to power dynamics in actor-producer negotiations. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report Ishita Dutta backing Deepika Padukone's eight-hour workday demand, with virtually identical quotes and framing. Hindustan Times leads with Dutta's 'you need to have a baby' remark, while Times of India foregrounds her 'power dynamics' comment about not being able to demand such shifts herself. Neither outlet challenges or contextualises the debate. The coverage is uniform straight reporting of Dutta's interview. The implications for working conditions in Bollywood and for women balancing motherhood and careers remain open questions within the industry. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with 'need a baby to realise' quote - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with power dynamics comment This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Bollywood, Deepika Padukone, Drishyam, Ishita Dutta Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ishita-dutta-backs-deepika-padukones-eight-hour-shift-demand/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ishita-dutta-backs-deepika-padukones-eight-hour-shift-demand/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/