As the debate continues around Deepika Padukone’s reported demand for eight-hour workdays on film sets — which allegedly led to her exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film Spirit veteran actress Rani Mukerji has shared her thoughts on balancing work and motherhood in the film industry.
In a recent conversation with ANI, Rani recalled how she navigated parenting while shooting for Hichki in 2018, when her daughter Adira was just 14 months old. “I was still breastfeeding her, so I had to pump the milk and go in the morning. I was shooting in a college in town. From my house in Juhu to that place, the traffic took about two hours,” she shared. Rani ensured her schedule was carefully structured around her child’s needs. “I would leave home at 6:30 am, shoot my first scene by 8, and wrap by 12:30-1 pm. I used to be home by 3 o’clock,” she added, praising her team’s planning and support.
Addressing the current discourse on working hours in Bollywood, Rani said that flexibility has always existed — it just wasn’t publicly discussed before. “If the producer is okay with your working hours, you do the film. If not, you don’t. Nobody is forcing anyone,” she explained, noting that work-life balance should always be a choice.
Rani, who took a break from acting to raise her daughter, also pointed out the stark difference in expectations from male and female actors in the industry. “Men don’t have to go through a physical transformation,” she said, “whereas women not only go through emotional changes but also experience a major physical transformation during motherhood.”
Despite the challenges, Rani expressed immense pride in being a woman and a mother. “We come closest to God when we give birth. It’s a beautiful thing men will never understand — and I feel sorry for them,” she said. She even joked, “If men had to have babies, there would be no wars. They’d be too busy preparing for the baby.”
Rani was recently honoured with the Best Actress award at the 71st National Film Awards for her powerful performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, a film based on a real-life custody battle. With a career spanning decades, Rani continues to inspire with roles rooted in strength, resilience, and emotion — both on-screen and off.