Isha Koppikar opens up
on intensifying work hours in industry

Actress Isha Koppikar amid her chat on Bharti Singh’s podcast, recounted a time when, amidst the filming of
Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi and Right Ya Wrong, she put in long hours without adequate rest resulting in “ending up in the hospital”.

She noted that while she sometimes worked 16-hour days out of necessity, she believes that producers should respect contracted hours.

In the course of time, several actors and industry professionals have weighed in on the subject, with opinions divided amid support for regulated hours and scepticism over its feasibility.

A recent discussion has resurfaced amidst a conversation on comedian Bharti Singh’s YouTube channel, where actress Isha Koppikar appeared alongside Bharti and her husband, Haarsh Limbachiyaa.

Amid speaking about balancing professional commitments and family life, Bharti mentioned her interest in contesting elections, but said she would not be able to devote much time due to her two children.
Responding with a smile, Isha remarked, “nowadays, you’re expected to give only
8 hours. Those who have children get just 8 hours”, a comment that appeared to reference the wider conversation around shorter work shifts after motherhood.
Haarsh reacted playfully, asking, “Who said that?” Isha laughed and replied, “he doesn’t t
know.”
The conversation then shifted to the realities of long shooting schedules. When asked about her own work hours, Isha said, “They make you work until you can’t stand,” describing physically exhausting schedules.
Haarsh added, “Until 15 minutes before you faint.” He further shared, “they wake up at 6:30 AM and return home at 3 AM,” clarifying that this happens, “Just a day in a week.” Bharti responded, “It’s something that can’t be done every day.” Isha agreed, adding, “Your body will give up.”
Haarsh noted, “It’s impossible. Even those who work in fiction usually do a 7 AM to 7 PM shift.”
Isha also recounted a particularly demanding phase of her career while filming Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi and Right Ya Wrong. She described a period of continuous work that eventually took a toll on her health.
She said, “It was so hectic at that time that she didn’t even have time to go home from Film City, so sked the producer to organize a place for her to stay there. She used to shoot from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day. This cycle repeated for five days, and on the sixth day, she ended up in the hospital.”

Deepika Padukone, who has earlier spoken publicly about her stance, addressed the issue in an interview..She doesn’t think what she is asking for is ridiculously unfair, and thinks only someone who has worked in the system enough will know the conditions that they work in. And she is saying this, if she may say so herself as a top star, so you can only imagine what the working conditions must be like for everyone else, for the crew, for example.”
When questioned about being labelled “too difficult” for requesting regulated hours, she responded by pointing out existing practices within the industry. She isn’t the first one to ask for something like this. In fact, there are a lot of actors, male actors, who have been working on an 8-hour shift for years, and it’s never made headlines.

News Edit KV Raman