"Never knew he was such a misogynist."
Kunal Kemmu is facing significant backlash for his recent remarks about Deepika Padukone’s demand for an eight-hour work shift.
The actor suggested that women should plan their careers and pregnancies wisely to avoid affecting the industry workflow.
The controversy ignited after Kunal discussed career choices and motherhood on a podcast hosted by Soha Ali Khan.
Deepika Padukone reportedly exited the film Spirit after requesting shorter hours to spend time with her newborn daughter Dua.
The actor argued that stars seeking such control should become producers and invest their own money in projects.
“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.”
Soha Ali Khan noted that balancing a career at its peak with motherhood is a difficult choice for many women today.
Kunal argued: “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.”
Social media users quickly labelled these specific comments as misogynistic and criticised his seemingly patriarchal mindset on platforms.
One of them said:
“Never knew he was such a misogynist.”
One Reddit user questioned his parenting perspective by asking if he actually thought pregnancy was similar to a project.
Another person pointed out that male stars like Akshay Kumar already follow strict eight-hour shift schedules.
Users mentioned how Ajay Devgn never shoots on Sundays, while others come late to movie sets without consequences.
Critics argued that male actors receive professional flexibility while women are judged for seeking basic work-life balance.
One Reddit comment described his thought process as deeply sexist because of the specific terminology used during it.
Many users expressed displeasure with Kunal’s use of the phrase ‘incubation period’ when describing the nine months of pregnancy.
A section of the internet believes that the actor is showing his lack of progressive thinking through this.
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