‘Plan In Nine Months’: Kunal Kemmu Faces Backlash Over ‘Plan Pregnancy’ Remark Amid Deepika Padukone Work-Hour Row

Kunal Kemmu reacted to Deepika Padukone’s call for eight-hour work shifts in Bollywood, saying actors should plan their careers wisely during pregnancy and cannot expect to work less while earning more. Speaking on a podcast with Soha Ali Khan, he added that those seeking such control should become producers, a remark that drew criticism online.

Kemmu said, "Then you decide you want to work for 2 hours only, and you will know that you won't be able to finish the film on time, or the project will cost so much and I will lose money. It's very easy to do on somebody else's part. So I am saying, empower yourself and reach a position where it's possible for you to do this. You can't say, you give me a job, but now I'll tell you how you pay me and when I will show up at work. I am saying this in general."

"But you still have a choice, there's an incubation period of nine months, you can plan it. You have decided to be a mother, so you can plan it. Unless you are an accidental mother, it's a different story. You have to plan it right naa, your planning can't affect the way the world is working. It goes for men also, it's a mindset thing, it's not a man-woman thing," said Kunal Kemmu.

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Kunal Kemmu’s remarks soon surfaced on Reddit, where several users criticised his statement. One user wrote, "Incubation period of nine months, plan it? What is he talking about? A group project? This person is a parent and a husband." Another commented that many men still carry a patriarchal mindset.

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Another user called the remark deeply sexist, arguing that male actors have long enjoyed flexible schedules. They pointed out that Ajay Devgn reportedly avoids Sunday shoots, Akshay Kumar works limited hours, and Govinda was known for arriving late on sets, adding that such behaviour has often been accepted because they are men.