Deepika Padukone has been in the news post her exit from ‘Spirit’ and then ‘Kalki 2’. Reportedly, one of the demands of the actress was an eight hour work shift and that perhaps did not go down well with the makers of these movies. Meanwhile, that led to a debate around the shift timings, especially for actresses who have embraced motherhood. Many celebrities have given their insights on this discussion. Adding her perspective to the discussion, columnist Shobhaa De argued that only a select few stars have the clout to push for such conditions.In an interview with Rediff Originals, De said, “Well, in that category, there’ll be Deepika Padukone, there’ll be Priyanka Chopra. I don’t see too many other girls being able to negotiate those kinds of terms. They’ll immediately be replaced and they’ll look for someone else. I mean, no one is going to care if Radhika Apte says, ‘I’ll only work for six hours or four hours or two hours or whatever’. Because at the end of it all, cinema is commerce. It has to bring in the money, it has to get people into theatres. And there are very few leading ladies who can achieve that.”While acknowledging that the conversation itself is a positive step, De cautioned that change will not come overnight. “Certainly Priyanka and Deepika are in that category. So they can afford to say it, and I’m sure it will change things gradually for the others. But so far, even Hollywood has not been able to crack that. The top stars in Hollywood can go on and on and on about the pay disparity and so on. They’ve been bleating about it for the last 10–15 years. But nothing has changed. Nothing.”De also touched upon how motherhood can impact the careers of female stars, expressing doubts about whether everyone is able to return to the same professional standing. “I’m not at all convinced or sure whether Katrina Kaif will be able to make that leap, after her baby. I’m not sure whether people will still look at Kiara Advani in the same way now that she’s a mother.”When the interviewer mentioned examples like Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, who have continued to flourish after becoming mothers, De drew a distinction. “These actresses that you’ve singled out are exceptional on screen, and they deliver in commercial terms. So it’s a different kind of story. I don’t think people think of motherhood when they look at Alia. And they’ve bounced back very quickly. They’re back in the game. They’re very much alive to their own possibilities and the kind of work they wish to do, and in a position to dictate that.”
