Exclusive | Saiyami Kher Joins Bollywood Work-Hour Debate, Shifting Focus To Workers On Sets; Exposes Food Hierarchy

Bollywood has long been known for grueling 12-to-18-hour shifts, without increased pay and lack of basic facilities. The debate around work-life balance in Bollywood gained fresh momentum after Deepika Padukone advocated for an eight-hour shift. Saiyami Kher, in an interview with Outlook, sheds light on the lengthy hours for workers on Indian film sets, on-set hierarchy, separate food categories and payment cycles .

Speaking from a more holistic point of view, Saiyami says the on-ground workers should never be taken for granted and “actors are the last people we should be considering.”

She considers “film-making is a massive team effort,” adding, “take a light boy, for example: he arrives on set two hours before the actor and leaves an hour after. In India, the industry is so star-driven, yet an actor only looks good because of the light crew setting up the key lights, the cinematographer capturing the frame, and the hair and makeup team making sure the look is perfect.”

Bats For Better Working Conditions

The Ghoomer actor also points out that working conditions in Indian film industry desperately need to improve. “People commute from far away, work 14-hour days, get barely an hour of sleep, and then have to chase production for payments that don't arrive on time. However, when working conditions are fair, like on an Anurag Kashyap or R Balki set, the energy completely changes. Balki sir often wraps up in 6 to 7 hours because he respects everyone's time. When you remove hierarchies on sets, people are genuinely happy to come to work,” she says.

“In Hindi cinema, hierarchy is almost everywhere, with very few exceptions,” Kher claims.

“Actors and top technicians often get different food, while crew members like light boys get lower-quality meals. But there are exceptions: on Anurag Kashyap's sets, if kulfi or dessert is served, every single person gets the same treat. I wish more sets operated like that.”

On 8-hour Shift Demand

She feels working 8 to 9 hours isn't the problem, claiming she has “seen people work 16 to 18 hours, only for their staff to be denied half-day overtime pay.”

“When people take you for granted and treat you badly, it creates a problem. That’s why actors start insisting on working strictly eight-hour shifts, because of these bad past experiences,” she adds.

“Everyone wants to finish a film on time and see it succeed, but when certain people make life miserable, people are forced to change their boundaries. I truly believe that if the working environment is good, the team will naturally cooperate.”