Rani Mukerji Shares Insights on Work-Life Balance Amid Deepika's Shift Demand

Rani Mukerji has recently commented on the ongoing discussion regarding Deepika Padukone's reported demand for eight-hour work shifts in Bollywood. This debate gained traction after Deepika exited the film Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, due to disagreements over work hours. Rani, reflecting on her own experiences, highlighted the challenges of balancing work and motherhood.

In a conversation with ANI, Rani recalled her time filming Hichki in 2018 when her daughter Adira was just 14 months old. "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, and I was shooting in a college in town," she shared. Rani explained how she structured her day to accommodate her responsibilities as a mother. She would leave her home in Juhu at 6:30 AM, shoot from 8 AM to around 12:30 PM, and ensure she was back home by 3 PM to avoid traffic.

Rani emphasized that flexible working hours are often a result of mutual understanding between actors and their teams. "These things are up for conversation today because maybe people are discussing it outside. But this has been the 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 stated.

The actress also touched on the unique challenges women face in the industry, particularly regarding physical and emotional transformations that come with motherhood. "Men don't have to go through a physical transformation. Additionally, I think we undergo a physical transformation, along with our emotional transformation, as we become mothers. And I'm very happy being a woman. I would not change this for the world because I think men have really got left out on this beautiful... amazing thing that we women go through is giving birth to a child," she remarked.

Rani's comments come at a time when the film industry is reflecting on work-life balance and the implications of standardised work hours. The ongoing debate has prompted discussions about how these changes could affect not just actors but also crew members and other staff in the industry. Recently, Rani was awarded the Best Actress at the 71st National Film Awards for her role in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, a film based on the real-life case of Sagarika Chakraborty, whose children were taken by the Norwegian government in 2011. Rani's career spans decades, and she continues to be a prominent figure in Bollywood, known for her strong performances and dedication to her craft.