Rani Mukerji weighs in on flexible work hours amid Deepika Padukone's 8hr-shift demand: 'When Adira was 14 month old...'

Rani Mukerji, awarded Best Actress at the National Film Awards, addressed the challenges women face in the industry post-motherhood.

As the film industry continues to discuss Deepika Padukone’s reported request for an eight-hour workday, a demand said to have led to her exit from Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and starring Prabhas, actor Rani Mukerji has weighed in with her perspective, drawing from her own experience of balancing career and motherhood.

Rani Mukerji noted that while flexibility in working hours is essential, the pressure on women remains significantly different from their male counterparts.

Rani recalled her schedule when Adira was a toddler

Speaking to ANI, Rani recalled the filming of her 2018 movie Hichki, which took place when her daughter Adira was just 14 months old.

“When I did Hichki, Adira was 14 months old, and I was still breastfeeding her. I had to pump the milk and leave early in the morning to shoot at a college in town. From my home in Juhu to the shoot location, it would take almost two hours due to traffic. So I’d leave by 6:30 a.m. after expressing milk. My first shot was at 8 a.m., and I’d wrap up by 12:30 or 1 p.m. My team and director were very organised. I’d reach home by 3 p.m., before the traffic worsened. That’s how I completed the film.”

She stressed that conversations around flexible working hours in cinema aren't new but are gaining visibility today because they're being publicly acknowledged. Rani also highlighted the double standards faced by women in the industry, pointing out that female actors often have to pause or adapt their careers after motherhood, while their male counterparts rarely face the same expectations.

Rani talks about juggling work with motherhood

“These things have always existed. It’s just that now people are openly talking about it. In any profession, if the producer agrees to shorter hours, you go ahead with the project. If not, you opt out. It’s a mutual choice; nothing is forced. Men don’t have to go through a physical transformation. Women, on the other hand, go through both physical and emotional changes after becoming mothers. But I’m very happy being a woman,” she said.

Rani Mukerji recently earned the Best Actress award at the 71st National Film Awards for her performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway. The film, based on the real-life story of Sagarika Chakraborty, follows a mother’s emotional and legal battle to reclaim her children from the Norwegian foster care system.

Deepika, on the other hand, is busy shooting Shah Rukh Khan's King which also stars Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Arshad Warsi.