Actor Preity Zinta on recently opened up about long working hours in Bollywood, revealing that she had worked 18-hour days in the past while explaining that her motivation was to complete her professional commitments and return to the US to be with her children.
Speaking at the trailer launch of her upcoming film ‘Vibe’ in Mumbai, Preity shared her perspective on the ongoing discussion around demanding shoot schedules.
“Each to its own. Of course, I was working for 18 hours because I wanted to finish my work as soon as I can and go back to America to be with my kids. My focus was, ‘I will come, I will finish it’. That was my reason,” she said.
Preity acknowledged that working at such a pace was “tough”, while stressing that her long hours were driven by her personal priorities at the time.
There is a wider debate in the film industry over working hours and structured schedules. The discussion gained attention after actor Deepika Padukone reportedly sought an eight-hour work shift while working on Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirit’. She was later reported to have exited the project amid creative differences.
Preity, who plays Madam H in ‘Vibe’, also spoke about her experience of performing action sequences in the film and said the shoot involved long hours and physically demanding scenes.
“The action was very difficult, I have to say. I’ve always thought that actresses have to work harder with songs and everything else. But wow, when we shot the action sequences, the hours were very long. I did get kicked, punched, and hit here and there, obviously not on purpose,” Preity said.
She also praised the film’s action team for their efforts during the shoot.
“When you watch the film, a big thank you has to go to the action team. I may be Madam H and everyone else may be in the spotlight, but it was the action team that worked tirelessly. Those guys didn’t care about the long hours; they were always there. If I’ve managed to pull this off, it’s thanks to the action team. They were incredible,” she added.
The trailer of ‘Vibe’, written and directed by Kunal Kemmu, was unveiled at the event. The high-stakes action-comedy stars Kunal alongside Preity Zinta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav.
The film follows two ordinary friends who find themselves caught in an unexpected high-stakes mission, leading to a mix of action, comedy and chaos.
‘VIBE’, an Amazon MGM Studios film, is slated to hit theatres on September 18.
Source: Khaleej Times