The recent reported departure of Deepika Padukone from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film, Spirit, due to disagreements over fixed working hours, has ignited a debate within the Indian film industry regarding the demanding working conditions faced by actors and crew members. Amidst this ongoing conversation, Rashmika Mandanna, who previously collaborated with Vanga in Animal, has shared her perspective on the matter, emphasizing the importance of open communication and personal choice.

Speaking to Mojo Story, Rashmika drew from her experiences across various film industries to highlight the differences in work cultures. She noted that in the South Indian film industries like Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil, working hours typically resemble standard office hours, from "9 am to 6 pm". This allows actors to spend time with family and maintain a more regular sleep schedule. In contrast, she observed that Hindi cinema often involves longer shifts, typically from "9 am to 9 pm," amounting to 12-hour workdays. Despite these differences, Rashmika stated that she is "open to both of these working hours because this is what my firm requires".

Rashmika stressed that discussions about working hours and flexibility should occur between the filmmaker and the actor before signing a contract. "Today the whole country is debating about flexible hours and everything, but that is for discussion amongst the teams and figure out what works for them. It's their personal choices, so that's what I believe in," she said. She believes that every film production should have an open discussion to determine the preferred working hours for everyone involved.

Rashmika also shed light on the reality of shoots that extend far beyond regular hours, sometimes stretching into consecutive days. "Some films you can start 9 am to 9 pm, but they actually carry on till the next day, 9 pm, so you're working like 36 hours-48 hours. They are films where we work around the clock, it's pretty normal," she explained. She acknowledged that while many people have opinions on the matter, it is fair for actors to communicate their preferred working hours to the director.

She further added, "But just to throw a little light on these things, there are much worse scenarios happening where you are working 2–3 days without going home, without even having a little nap".

Rashmika's statements come amidst growing calls for standardized 8-hour shifts in Bollywood. While she supports open communication and personal choice, she has also spoken about the sacrifices she has made for her career, including missing milestones in her younger sister's life and craving for off days.