Deepika’s 8 hour demand: Who benefits?

In an exclusive conversation with media, veteran actor Deepak Parashar spoke on how Deepika Padukone stirring the conversation of 8 hour work shift remains nullified when it comes to struggling actors,.

He also highlighted on why leading stars rarely come forward to publicly support struggling artistes

The actor addressed questions on the absence of big names in strong yet collective movements. Talking to media about it, Parashar said, “That’s why Deepika Padukone raised the point that she will not work for more than eight hours, and that if an artiste is pregnant, she must be given leave. She did raise this issue.”

However, he pointed out that such concerns do not impact those at the top. “Most of the top people don’t have any problems, neither of money, nor of time, nor of survival. Issues of needy actors don’t really matter to them because everything works according to them. They are the selling factor,” he said.

Questioning on if and whether the bigwigs of the industry would ever protest on the streets regarding the issue, Parashar remarked, “Now who among them will come and stand on the streets for these needy actors? I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”

He also highlighted that that it is senior artistes who are now trying to make a difference. “This is the first time that known faces like Poonam Dhillon, Padmini Kolhapuri, Upasana Singh, myself and others have come together. All of us have worked for more than 40 years. I have worked in the industry for 46 years, and we are trying to solve these problems,” he said.

Parashar also acknowledged the help extended by several stars during the COVID-19 crisis. “During COVID, people like Hrithik Roshan helped a lot. Because of that support, we could provide ration and facilities to needy actors. Sonu Sood did a lot, Salman Khan through his organisation helped, Shah Rukh Khan helped, Akshay Kumar also did a lot,” he added.

However, he emphasized on how the large-scale unanimous action is difficult especially in the absence of a unified body. “If there was a proper Cine Artists Association, maybe it would have been possible. But now, because television has joined, the industry has become very vast,” Parashar said.

Concluding the conversation, he shared that now only the heads ar the political level could help resolve the issue, further putting in his hope for institutional support. He said, “Our only hope now is Modi ji, Amit Shah ji, and a very fine gentleman, Arun Govil ji.”

For the uninitiated, Deepak Parashar has been a part of the entertainment industry for almost 5 decades and is considered as one of Bollywood's finest veteran actors.