Mar 21, 2026 3:00pm IST
Mohit Suri on the 8-Hour Work Debate: ‘Emraan Hashmi Shot 24 Hours With Me’ (EXCLUSIVE)
There has been an ongoing debate in the industry over eight-hour workdays since reports suggested that Deepika Padukone exited Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Spirit” and the “Kalki 2898 AD” sequel, citing her unwillingness to commit to a fixed schedule. In a recent conversation with Variety India, “Saiyaara” director Mohit Suri shared his thoughts on the issue.
About the ongoing debate, Suri said he has had actors work 24 hours at a stretch. He said, “I have had actors work 24 hours when needed. When we were shooting for ‘Awarapan’ and we had a really expensive location in the presidential suite of the Intercontinental Hotel on the terrace, we had it only for 24 hours. I remember Emraan Hashmi shot 24 hours with me.”
Related Stories
Adding that the conversation has become more ego-led now, he said, “We are making it an ego argument. Why should someone dictate the shift? But let’s look at how quality of work happens, right? I mean if a unit is working 12 hours on the shift, they are actually working 14 hours because they are loading, unloading. They’re getting paid only for that 12 hours. I mean it could be even 15 hours. Then they go home.”
Suri believes that better work hours should not be limited to actors and must account for the needs of the entire unit. He explained, “We are making this more about the actors and thinking they are demanding it. But let’s think about the unit because I’ve been an assistant director who, after the shoot has packed up, is waiting in the bus while the unit wraps up in the rain, while the lightmen wrap up, to be dropped at the station. And I know how difficult it is for the rest of the unit. We are getting egoistic about the fact that an actor has suggested it. But let’s think about the humanity of this also.”
Suri also opined that the conversation should not remain restricted to the vanity of actors. He said, “This is not about the lead actor. I am saying this should be about the lightman. This should be about the spot boy. This should be about the dress dada who has to iron the clothes and send them for laundry. And you will mess him up if he doesn’t get it delivered tomorrow. What if he oversleeps? What if the drivers who bring you there fall asleep at the wheel? We are not taking that into account. We are just giving too much attention to the beauty sleep of actors. And if they do wrap up in eight hours, there’s nothing wrong, everyone else will get a decent day. Look at it from the larger perspective.”
Suri delivered the biggest hit of his career with “Saiyaara,” launching Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda as lead stars. The director is now busy writing his next film, whose cast has not yet been locked.
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.