Radhika Apte on Deepika - Sandeep Reddy Vanga Controversy: Industry Unfair To Working Mothers

Actress Deepika Padukone and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga issue has snowballed into a major controversy. Reports say that when Deepika was offered the lead role in Spirit, she made a few requests before signing the film. One of her main conditions was an 8-hour workday on set so she could spend time with her newborn daughter. However, the production team couldn’t meet her demands and eventually replaced her with another actress.

The whole issue threw light on the film industry's approach towards working moms. Amidst this, bold actress Radhika Apte also spoke up about how tough it is to work in the Hindi film industry after becoming a mother. She said the industry is not very supportive of working mothers and called it difficult to manage work and motherhood in India.

In a recent interview, Radhika shared, “I’ve realised the way we work in India doesn’t suit me anymore. A normal shoot lasts at least 12 hours, not counting hair and makeup, which adds another hour. And since shoots rarely end on time, it can stretch to 15 hours or more. I’ve often worked 16 to 18 hours a day in my career.”

She added that after becoming a mother, such long hours just aren’t possible. “If I work like that, I’ll barely get to see my daughter. So now I need to put special conditions in my contracts, even though I know that might not go down well with some people.”

After taking a break to focus on motherhood, Radhika recently returned to the screen with the critically praised film Sister Midnight, which is currently playing in theatres.