Actress Rani Mukerji, who recently won a National Film Award, reacted to the debate around Deepika Padukone's demand for eight-hour work shifts. For those unversed, Deepika reportedly quit Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit after her eight-hour workday request was not fulfilled.
During a conversation with ANI, Rani recalled balancing motherhood and the shoot of her 2018 film Hichki. Rani and Aditya Chopra's daughter Adira was 14 months old then.
The actress said, "When I did Hichki, Adira was 14 months old, and I was still breastfeeding her, so I had to pump the milk and go in the morning...I was shooting in a college in town."
She further stated that her schedule was designed around her daughter's needs. "From my house in Juhu to that place, and the traffic takes about two hours. So I kind of made it a thing where in the morning I would leave at 6:30 for shoot. My first shot used to be at 8 in the morning and I used to wrap up everything by 12:30 pm to 1 pm. My unit and my director were so planned that for those 6-7 hours I used to finish my shoot and before the traffic would start in town, I used to be home by 3 pm. I did my film like that," she added.
She stated that flexible hours have always been based on mutual understanding.
"These things are up in conversation today because maybe people are discussing it outside. But this has been a norm with all professions. I've also done it where I have worked for certain hours. If the producer's okay with it, you go ahead with the film. If the producer's not okay with it, you don't do the film. So it's also a choice. Nobody is forcing anything on anybody," she said.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Rani will next be seen in Mardaani 3. The film is all set to hit the big screens in February 2026. If reports are to be believed, the actress will also have a special role in Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan's King.
