Bollywood Stars Expose Excessive Work Hours in Indian Film Industry

In October 2025, a resurfaced video from 2018 has reignited a conversation about work hours in the Indian film industry. The video features actors Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, and Riteish Deshmukh appearing on the Kapil Sharma Show to promote a 'Housefull' film.

During the interview, Abhishek Bachchan revealed that Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood's biggest stars, does not work for more than 8 hours a day. Bachchan shared, "As soon as the pack-up is done, the most excited person is Akshay Kumar. He doesn't work for more than eight hours. He will come onto the set at seven in the morning... turn on the meter immediately."

This revelation comes at a time when actor Deepika Padukone's recent exit from major projects, reportedly due to long working hours, has sparked a broader conversation. In a recent interview, Padukone commented, "By virtue of being a woman, if that comes across as pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of superstars, male superstars, in the Indian Film Industry, have been working for 8 hours for years, and it's never made headlines."

The resurfacing of the Kapil Sharma Show clip and Deepika Padukone's comments have shed light on the long-standing work culture in the Indian film industry, where even top male stars are known to maintain an 8-hour workday schedule, a practice that has often gone unnoticed or unchallenged.