Mumbai’s film industry is buzzing with debate over the grueling 12-hour shooting shifts that have become the norm. While some defend the practice as essential for efficiency, outspoken director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has sounded a stark warning. In a candid conversation, he likened Bollywood’s work culture to a factory assembly line, where creativity suffocates under exhaustion.
Agnihotri didn’t mince words: ‘Running 12-hour or longer shifts in a creative field like filmmaking is turning it into a mechanical grind. Workers end up drained, their innovative spark extinguished.’ He highlighted the physical toll—makeup, prosthetics, wigs, and facial hair become unbearable after seven or eight hours. As the day wears on, energy dips, prosthetics loosen, and mental fatigue sets in. Producers, he argued, prioritize cost-cutting over well-being, squeezing maximum output from minimal resources.
Drawing parallels, Agnihotri asked, ‘Would you expect a painter to produce masterpieces for 12 straight hours? Or a singer to perform non-stop without tiring?’ Yet in Bollywood, shifts often stretch to 13-14 hours, plus commute time in traffic-choked Mumbai, totaling 14-16 hours away from home. Actors face extra pressure to look fresh and vibrant, an impossibility after such marathons.
The director shared personal insights: ‘After a long shift, my own creativity vanishes. My mind shuts down, body aches, and emotions run dry.’ He called for industry unions and stakeholders to convene, discuss, and reform. Without change, he warned, film quality will suffer alongside cast and crew health. Bollywood must evolve from factory mode to foster true artistic excellence.