Overview

• Deepika Padukone reportedly left Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit after producers rejected her demand for an eight-hour workday
• Banita Sandhu publicly backed Padukone’s stance and described enduring 16–18 hour shoots without sleep early in her career
• Sandhu attributes her speaking out on exploitative hours to being sidelined in Bollywood while she maintained roles in international projects
• She highlighted Hollywood’s union-backed 12-hour turnovers and mandatory rest periods as benchmarks for protecting crew welfare
• Sandhu urged the introduction of formal regulations in Bollywood to safeguard basic rights, health and rest for all cast and crew