Jimmy Shergill highlights gruelling 18-hour work schedules of film crew members; says, “My fight is for the workers”
Actor Jimmy Shergill, who has spent three decades navigating the Hindi film industry, has spoken candidly about a side of filmmaking that rarely makes headlines – the long and often punishing hours endured by workers on set. In an exclusive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, held while promoting his upcoming Netflix show Operation Safed Sagar, Shergill turned the spotlight away from actors and onto the crew members who keep productions running.
A day that stretches to 18 hours
Shergill explained that actors typically work 12 hours a day that can stretch to 15, saying, “From the time we are called, which is one to one and a half hours before time, till the time we pack up, for actors, it’s 12 hours of shooting, which eventually becomes 15.” He added, “That is still okay.”
For workers, he said, the hours are far longer. “My fight is for the workers,” Shergill said, explaining that crew members arrive hours before actors and stay well after wrap. Counting it out himself, he said, “12 plus three plus three, 18 hours, followed by their travel time back home.”
Calling for better work ethics
Shergill questioned the toll such schedules take on workers’ personal lives, saying, “So he’s just going home to meet his wife and come back. What kind of life is he living?” He noted that many endure these conditions simply because they have no alternative.
“Somebody has to genuinely take care of that because health is the most important thing for the workers. A guy doing that every single day is not gonna last too long,” he said, adding that life is more than money and that those in power need to recognise this.
A global standard, he says
Shergill pointed to international norms as a benchmark, saying, “Everywhere in the world, the timing is 12 hours. You should work however much you want within those hours, but after that workers need their own time.” He acknowledged his own privilege as an actor, noting, “We actors are privileged because we might be able to wrap up our work in those 15 to 20 days and go back home and sleep. The workers can’t.”
Shergill will next be seen in Operation Safed Sagar, alongside an ensemble cast including Dia Mirza, Siddharth, Amrita Bagchi, Abhay Verma and Mihir Ahuja. Operation Safed Sagar premieres on Netflix on August 7.
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