‘Respect the culture’: Venky Atluri on Deepika Padukone’s fixed working hours debate

3 min readHyderabadJul 31, 2026 10:17 AM IST Director Venky Atluri spoke about cross-industry work culture amid Deepika Padukone exit controversyWhen Deepika Padukone exited Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and parted ways with Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD sequel over working hours, it ignited a debate about fixed working hours, leading many to weigh in on the pros and cons of the same across various film industries. In a recent interview, director Venky Atluri was asked about the difference in working conditions between Telugu and Hindi cinema, especially with regard to Deepika’s exit over working hours. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Atluri said that if he were to work in Hindi he would take a three-month break to study the set first, and that anyone coming to Telugu should work to