The current discussion regarding working hours in the Indian films has received new focus after Deepika Padukone expressed her views. The latest to respond about it is national-award-winning actress Keerthy Suresh. She spoke about the increasing demands for an eight-hour workday for actors and crew, an issue that has created a conversation among those in the industry and the general public. Keerthy Suresh noted that although some film sectors in India have begun to implement more regulated hours, others still expect their teams to work longer shifts. She mentioned, “Actually, I handle different types of shifts: 9 to 6, 9 to 9, and 9 to 2. When I began my career, while filming Mahanati, I was also working on five other projects at the same time. I have had times where my work was strictly from 9 to 6.”

She went on to say, “For me, I can adapt to both schedules, but let me explain the typical day for an actor. When we say 9 to 6, we must be ready with our makeup by 9, which means arriving on set by 7.30, necessitating an early departure at 6.30, and waking up by 5.30 a.m.”

When discussing the variations in work ethics across different industries, Keerthy Suresh mentioned, “They vary from one industry to another. In Tamil and Telugu films, the usual work hours are from 9 am to 6 pm. For significant scenes in specific places, they might extend to a 9 am to 9 pm schedule. However, in Malayalam and Hindi films, the shifts last 12 hours. I have tried to understand these differences on my own. In Malayalam, there are no breaks; they work continuously.”

Revolver Rita, directed by JK Chandra, stars Keerthy Suresh along with Radikaa Sarathkumar, Redin Kingsley, Mime Gopi, Sendrayan, and Super Subbarayan. Revolver Rita is set to hit theaters on November 28th.