Actress Deepika Padukone joined the work-life balance debate on social media Thursday following L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s 90-hour work week remark, calling it “shocking”. The company later issued a statement defending Subrahmanyan’s comments, which also did not go down well with Deepika.
During an interaction with employees, Subrahmanyan said, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays.”
“What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working,” he added, sparking social media debates on work-life balance and mental health of working professionals in India.
“So that's the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week,” Subrahmanyan reportedly said in his address.
Deepika, known for her advocacy of mental health issues, responded sharply, calling the comments “shocking” on Instagram and using the hashtag #mentalhealthmatters.
Following the backlash, an L&T spokesperson issued a statement defending Subrahmanyan’s comments, citing nation building and a broader vision for India as the driving force behind the company’s approach.
“Nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India’s infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation. The chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition.”
Unimpressed by the defence, Deepika shared a screenshot of the statement on social media with the caption, “And they just made it worse...”
The incident has renewed conversations about work-life balance in corporate India. A similar remark from Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, suggesting a 70-hour work week for employees, went viral on social media last year.
Deepika Padukone has long been a vocal advocate for mental health. After sharing her own struggles with depression, she founded the Live Love Laugh Foundation in 2015 to destigmatise mental health issues and provide resources for those in need.