Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 2 (ANI): Actor Preity Zinta on Wednesday 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, bas mera kaam jaldi khatam kardo'. 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. I want to say a huge thank you to all of them. They were absolutely awesome. 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.
Kunal Kemmu also spoke about casting Preity in the film, revealing that he was a fan of the actress and had imagined her playing the character while writing the script.
"When I was writing the film, I reached a point where I was thinking about who could play this character. I'm also a huge Preity Zinta fan. A thought crossed my mind: what if the person who walks in is Preity Zinta herself?" Kunal said.
"These people would say, 'Preity Zinta? You're an undercover agent?' and she would reply, 'What did you think? That I got married and moved to America? This is my real life. I'm actually a government agent," he added.
Kunal said he eventually dropped that particular idea but felt Preity was the right choice for the role after realising that audiences had not seen her perform action before.
"Of course, I didn't continue with that idea. But once I finished writing the film and it came to casting, I realised I had never seen Preity do action before. I felt nobody would expect it, which made it the perfect casting choice. The only challenge was getting her to say yes. That's how the journey began. I'm very happy that she agreed," he said.
'VIBE', an Amazon MGM Studios film, is slated to hit theatres on September 18, 2026. (ANI)
"Each to its own...I was working for 18 hours": Preity Zinta weighs in on Bollywood's work-hour debate
