Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is in the news these days for being out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film 'Spirit'. It is being said that Deepika had demanded an 8-hour shift, which the director of the film did not agree to. There has been a lot of debate in the film industry on this issue. Many stars have justified Deepika's demand. Now director Siddharth P Malhotra has also supported Deepika and said that many actresses have done this before.

In a recent interview to IANS, Siddharth Malhotra said, "We shot our entire film 'Hichki' in 28 days in just 8-hour shifts. Rani Mukherjee, children, cameraman, spot boy - everyone completed the work within the stipulated time. This is nothing new, this practice has been going on in the industry for many years." Siddharth further said, “When I did a film with Kajol in 2010, she had made it clear that she would only work in 8-hour shifts. Be it 10 am to 6 pm or 7 am to 2 pm. Rani Mukerji also did the same. Deepika is not making any new demands.”

The director also said, “If I need an actor and I know that I can complete the shooting in the stipulated time, then I will work even in a 6-hour shift. This is not just about Deepika, people are just gathering publicity by taking her name. She is asking for time for her family, what is wrong in that?”

Siddharth P Malhotra has directed films like ‘Hichki’, ‘Kaafir’, ‘We Are Family’ as well as the recently released film ‘Maharaj’ starring Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan.