Archive · 5 Aug 2026
Jimmy Shergill calls out 18-hour shifts for Bollywood crew
A movie actor named Jimmy Shergill said something important about the people who work behind the scenes on movies.
These workers build sets, fix lights, and do many other jobs.
Jimmy said these workers often stay at work for about 18 hours every day.
That is a very long time, longer than most grown-ups work.
He said the workers barely have time to see their families.
Jimmy thinks workers should have fixed working hours, like 12 hours, just like in other parts of the world.
He also said being an actor is a privilege because actors can rest after their movie is done, but workers cannot.
Another actor named Deepika Padukone also asked for shorter working hours, and people are talking about it a lot.
Jimmy believes health and family time are more important than money.
His new show about the Air Force will start on Netflix on August 7.
Jimmy Shergill called out the Hindi film industry for crew members working nearly 18-hour days, urging healthier working conditions.
He said actors spend about 15 hours on set, while crews arrive three hours early and stay three hours after pack-up, plus travel time.
"My fight is for the workers," he said, arguing that health matters most and that daily 18-hour routines are unsustainable.
He advocated fixed 12-hour working days as the global norm, noting that actors are privileged while workers cannot simply go home and rest.
His remarks follow Deepika Padukone's reported 8-hour shift demand, and he stars in Netflix's Operation Safed Sagar premiering August 7.
- Who
- Actor Jimmy Shergill, speaking on behalf of film technicians and crew members; his remarks follow Deepika Padukone's earlier stance on working hours.
- What
- Shergill called out nearly 18-hour working days for crew in the Hindi film industry and urged fixed working hours and better work ethics.
- When
- Recently, ahead of his series Operation Safed Sagar premiering globally on Netflix on August 7.
- Where
- The Hindi film industry in India; the comments were made in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.
- Why
- To highlight how long hours harm workers' health and personal lives and to push for a healthier, more sustainable work culture.
Workers' welfare advocates
Industry production norms
Working hours on sets
Workers' welfare advocates
Jimmy Shergill argues crew members deserve fixed 12-hour working days, matching the global norm, because health and family time are more important than profits.
Industry production norms
In practice, crew members work about 18 hours daily, arriving hours before actors and staying after pack-up, and many continue because they have little choice.
Deepika Padukone's 8-hour shift demand
Workers' welfare advocates
Padukone's reported demand for an 8-hour shift while managing motherhood was seen as a push for better working conditions and sparked widespread industry debate.
Industry production norms
The demand reportedly led to her exit from projects including Spirit and Kalki 2, reflecting industry resistance to shorter schedules.
- Crew working hours
- About 18 hours daily (12 hours of shooting plus 3 hours setup and 3 hours pack-up), plus travel time
- Actor working hours
- About 15 hours on set
- Suggested global norm
- Fixed 12-hour working days
- Jimmy Shergill's stand
- "My fight is for the workers"
- Related debate
- Deepika Padukone reportedly demanded an 8-hour shift; reports say it led to her exit from Spirit and Kalki 2
- Upcoming project
- Operation Safed Sagar on Netflix
- Release date
- August 7, global Netflix premiere
- Series subject
- Indian Air Force's 1999 Kargil War mission and the Golden Arrows Squadron
