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 a Telugu way of doing things. He added that shoots there routinely run 11 to 12 hours, and that actors from Tamil, Malayalam or Hindi cinema should be willing to accept those conditions. He said, “When a person from any industry, let it be Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, when you’re coming and acting in a Telugu film, you have to understand the work culture and maybe respect the culture.”He recalled an anecdote about working with Raveena Tandon and explained, “I worked with Raveena Tandon, and it was the last day of shoot, we were shooting in Ooty. The temperatures were around 6 to 7 degrees. Maybe it is not cold for Hyderabadis, but for someone from Mumbai or Chennai, it’s cold. There were only two options: either shoot for 14 hours straight, or shoot a portion of it and do the patch somewhere else. We know we can’t match the colour and temperature of Ooty anywhere. So Surya was willing to go and I requested Raveena. Her manager was like no, she’d be angry. I think she overheard us, and I was like, can we do it, and we did.”Also Read: Suriya wanted to play on 20-year age-gap with Mamitha Baiju: Director on Vishwanath and SonsHe added,”So what I am trying to say is respect the work culture where you’re working. If I want to work on a Bollywood film, I’d work according to their working conditions. I’ll not just jump saying I work from 8 am, so everyone else should do it.”Deepika Padukone exited both Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD sequel after reports that she wanted to cap her working day at eight hours. In September, Vyjayanthi Movies confirmed her departure from the Kalki sequel, saying the two sides could not find a partnership despite the long journey of the first film.Also Read: Amid Spirit, Kalki 2 exits, Deepika Padukone says ‘people offer you a lot of money, think that’s enough’: ‘I believe in people’Story continues below this adVishwanath and Sons, which stars Suriya alongside Raveena Tandon and Mamitha Baiju, releases in theatres on 14 August. Atluri has also confirmed that a sequel to Lucky Baskhar is planned, though he has said it is a couple of years away.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.Tags:Deepika Padukone