Preity Zinta worked 18-hour days while filming her new movie VIBE, but her comments about the experience offer an interesting perspective on the eight-hour workday debate that sparked a major conversation in Bollywood last year.
While promoting VIBE, which arrived in theaters on September 18, Preity was asked about her long shooting days and the broader conversation surrounding working mothers in the film industry.
Her response was simple: “Each to his own.”
Preity explained that there was a very specific reason she was willing to work such long hours.
“The reason I was working 18 hours is because I wanted to finish my work as soon as I can and go back to America to be with my kids,” she said.
Why Preity Zinta Chose 18-Hour Shooting Days
Preity lives in the U.S. with her children and had traveled to India specifically to film VIBE. She explained that she was there for approximately 30 to 40 days, so during that period, work became her complete focus.
“Every single day I went to shoot, I came back,” she explained, adding that she did not go out for even one evening during production.
She also described VIBE as a tough shoot, with action sequences and other variables, including weather and illness, affecting the production.
Her comments are particularly interesting because of the larger discussion that unfolded in Bollywood last year after Deepika Padukone’s reported request for eight-hour working days as a new mother became a major topic of conversation.
On the surface, working eight hours and working 18 hours sound like completely opposite approaches.
But the motivations behind them actually highlight something similar: both conversations center on mothers figuring out how to balance their careers with getting back to their children.
For Preity, that meant packing as much work as possible into a short period so she could finish filming and return home sooner. In the debate surrounding Deepika, the conversation centered on shorter individual workdays that would allow more time with her child while working.
And perhaps that is why Preity’s “each to his own” comment stands out.
There may not be one schedule that works for every actor, parent or production. A film set also involves directors, producers, crew members and countless logistical considerations, meaning every project comes with different circumstances.
Preity’s experience on VIBE does not necessarily settle Bollywood’s ongoing conversation about working hours. Instead, it adds another perspective to it, and reinforces just how personal the balance between work and parenthood can be.
