Ahaana Krishna agrees with Deepika Padukone’s pitch for a 5-day work week: ‘Why are weekends so irrelevant in movies?’
Bollywood conversations about work culture have suddenly gone mainstream. When Deepika Padukone recently spoke about setting boundaries — including shorter working hours and the idea that many prominent actors work a Monday–Friday schedule — it sparked debate across the industry. Actress Ahaana Krishna has now publicly agreed with that view, asking an interesting question: why do films treat weekends as if they don’t exist? This article explains what both actresses said, why the conversation matters, and what change could realistically look like in Indian film production.
Why Ahaana Krishna’s take matters
Ahaana Krishna isn’t just a fresh voice; she represents a generation of actors who value sustainable schedules and mental health. Her response to Deepika’s comments underlines a growing awareness among performers about burnout, gender bias, and the need for professional standards on set.
Ahaana’s comment — “Why are weekends so irrelevant in movies?” — highlights a simple observation: films often schedule shoots without visibly accounting for personal downtime, normalizing nonstop work. By agreeing with Deepika, Ahaana helped push this from a celebrity headline into a broader industry conversation.
What Deepika Padukone actually said
Deepika has been vocal about asking for an eight-hour working day and clearer boundaries after reports that she stepped away from certain projects over disagreements about work conditions. In interviews she pointed out that many male actors already take fixed work hours and sometimes don’t work weekends — a point she used to argue for fairness, safety, and a sustainable career. Her stance has been reported widely and has driven much of the ensuing discussion.
The context: exits and industry reaction
Deepika’s insistence on fixed hours reportedly played a role in contract disagreements and high-profile exits from projects, which in turn fueled both support and criticism. Filmmakers and trade voices have argued that movie making is unpredictable and often requires long, irregular hours, while advocates say that structured shifts and worker protections can and should be implemented in a creative setting. The debate has opened space for actors like Ahaana to weigh in without it being dismissed as celebrity drama.
Why weekends are treated as “irrelevant” on screen — and why that’s a problem
Filmmaking is inherently logistical: locations, VFX timelines, actor availability, and seasonal constraints force scheduling compromises. But there’s a cultural layer too. Movies often romanticize sacrifice: the image of the tireless actor or crew member burning the midnight oil feeds into a narrative that long hours equal commitment. That normalizes overwork and makes weekends seem expendable.
This is problematic for a few reasons:
- It ignores crew welfare — technicians, junior artists, and support staff bear the brunt of extended shoots.
- It creates gendered expectations — when some groups are expected to be always available, others (often women) face backlash for asking for reasonable limits.
- It increases risk of mistakes, accidents, and long-term burnout, which harms production quality and people’s lives.
Ahaana Krishna’s point reframes the issue: treating weekends as expendable isn’t inevitable — it’s a choice rooted in habit and power dynamics.
Practical steps the industry could adopt
If the goal is an actionable shift — not just headlines — here are pragmatic measures that film units and production houses can consider:
1. Adopt shift-based call sheets. Call sheets that clearly define start, break, and end times (with buffer hours only when absolutely necessary) help everyone plan and reduce surprise overtime.
2. Formalize weekend policies. Decide in advance which weekends will require work and compensate fairly — both financially and with time-off-in-lieu.
3. Rotate night shifts and heavy scenes. Avoid putting the same crew on back-to-back heavy schedules; rotation reduces fatigue and error.
4. Use pre-production planning and unit division. More careful scheduling and shooting units in parallel can compress timelines without abusing people.
5. Strengthen industry alliances and contracts. Unions or industry bodies can issue standard guidelines to protect both artists and crew, and producers can commit to compliance clauses.
Ahaana Krishna’s agreement with the 5-day idea makes these steps seem less ideological and more practical — she’s basically asking why the industry shouldn’t try better planning.
What change would mean for actors and crew
For actors like Ahaana Krishna, better schedules can mean improved creativity, health, and longevity. For technicians and junior crew, it can be the difference between a sustainable career and burnout. For producers, it can mean slightly higher short-term costs but better retention, fewer accidents, and potentially higher quality work because rested people perform better.
Importantly, change doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Pilot projects, specific studio guidelines, or test shoots with strict timing can prove it’s possible to maintain artistic flexibility without sacrificing people’s lives.
How audiences and media can help
The conversation will only move if audiences and media stop equating dedication with suffering. Coverage that asks how work conditions affect the people behind the camera — not just where a star stood on a set — will pressure producers to adapt. Ahaana Krishna’s public stance nudges media narratives away from gossip and toward responsibility.
Final take: Ahaana Krishna amplifies a conversation worth having
Ahaana Krishna agreeing with Deepika Padukone is more than a celebrity soundbite. It is part of a necessary cultural shift: recognizing that humane schedules don’t dilute artistic merit; they protect and enhance it. The simple question Ahaana raised — “Why are weekends so irrelevant in movies?” — forces a practical reexamination of how the film world schedules its work and treats its people. If the industry listens, the next wave of films could be made with sharper creativity and healthier people behind them — and that’s a win for everyone.
