Keerthy Suresh reveals the terrible reality behind her glamorous career in south vs Hindi cinema

The glamour of cinema often hides the grind behind it, and Keerthy Suresh just pulled the curtain back. During a recent press interaction, she shared how the industry’s long hours, early call times, and near-zero recovery time are taking a toll on actors and technicians alike. Her candid account offers a rare look at the schedules that run the film world and why she believes it’s time to rethink how much the people behind the screen are pushed.

Keerthy Suresh revealed that she has worked through a wide range of shifts in her career, including days that stretched from 9 in the morning to 2 the next night. She recalled managing five other films alongside Mahanati, and said that while she has always powered through hectic timelines, an eight-hour shift would be far healthier for everyone on set.

To show how demanding even a so-called standard shift can be, she broke down a typical day. For a 9 AM call time, she wakes up at 5:30 AM, leaves home by 6:30 AM, and reaches the set by 7:30 AM. When filming wraps around 6 or 6:30 PM, she heads back home, reaches around 8:15 PM, changes, and goes straight to a workout session by 8:30 PM. By the time she finishes exercising, showers, eats dinner, and gets ready for bed, it is already close to 11 PM. She then wakes up again at 5:30 AM. That routine still gives her barely six hours of sleep.


Keerthy pointed out that this is the scenario on a good day. In Malayalam and Hindi industries, she said, actors and technicians often work far longer, with 12-hour schedules being common. Malayalam shoots frequently run on continuous workflows without breaks, which makes things even tougher. Crew members get hit the hardest, she added, noting that many technicians sleep only three to four hours, and lightmen in Kerala often survive on just two to three hours of rest.

She stressed that sleep is as essential as food and exercise, yet the industry’s structure leaves little room for it. In Tamil and Telugu cinema, she said, there is at least a relatively steady 9-6 standard, but other industries still follow relentless timelines that compromise health and well-being for everyone involved.

The 8-hour work debate in the film industry first started after reports emerged about Deepika Padukone requesting an 8-hour shift after the birth of her daughter, Dua. Post this, the actress quit two big projects, Spirit and Kalki 2898's sequel. Recently, Rashmika Mandhana and Rakul Preet Singh joined the conversation about worklife balance and proper working hours.

Keerthy Suresh's latest work

The actress was last seen in Uppu Kappurambu and will now be seen in Revolver Rita, which is set to release in the theatres on November 28. She also has Kannivedi in the pipeline.