Not going to get away with short working hours, challenging to maintain work-life balance: Konkana

Mumbai, Oct 9 (PTI) Achieving a harmonious work-life balance seems more tough day-by-day, says actor Konkana Sen Sharma, who believes by having conversations, and a bit of “protest and adjusting” will make things better for artists.

In the upcoming series “Search: The Naina Murder Case”, the actor plays the role of a working mother, who constantly strives for a work-life balance.

Konkana, who has been in the movie industry for over two-decades, reflected on her personal experiences and said many of her collaborators have been very supportive.

"I've actually been very lucky to have had directors and producers who've been very supportive. I also know how the industry works, and that I'm not going to actually get away with very short working hours.

"Also, the kinds of projects that I do are small or medium budget, so I’d to plan my life accordingly, whether it's (with) my son, my father, or my mom, or someone who's come down to help me out because one does need a bit of a community or a village. The village is disappearing. So, it's a bit tough,” Konkana, who co-parents her son Haroon with her ex-husband, actor Ranvir Shorey, told PTI in an interview.

The debate around working hours in the film industry recently gained momentum after reports surfaced that Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone opted out of the Telugu film "Spirit" due to differences with the makers over her request to limit her working hours to eight per day. Striking a healthy balance between work and personal remains a challenge, admitted the 45-year-old actor.

"It's not like I've perfected it. We seek to maintain this balance every day, and we feel less and more every day,” she added.

Konkana is hopeful that "working hours" situation will get better in future.

“This is how we’ve (built) better practices — through conversations, discussions, unions, a little bit of protest, and a little bit of adjusting. Earlier, many things were much worse, and many things have become better,” she added.

The show, helmed by Rohan Sippy of “Bluffmaster!” and “Dum Maaro Dum” fame, follows the story of ACP Sanyukta Das (Konkana), a seasoned investigator drawn into the murder of a teenage girl just as she plans to move departments to salvage her crumbling marriage.

Sippy believes the world of movies is quite demanding and enforcing fixed working hours is not feasible.

"It's not the right profession to pursue if that's what you're looking for (working hours). It's just the nature of the job that you’ve to be around whether it's to meet an actor, to be on set, night shoot, etc. There's a greater supply of people who want to do this job than the demand for it.

"So, we're all lucky to be in these things, so you’ve to accept it, and have a family with you that will be understanding enough of that. So, if your family cannot manage those expectations, you're going to have to be really have drastic…I'm extremely fortunate that I do have that support and understanding to allow me to do this," he said.

The crime thriller series will premiere on October 10 on JioHotstar. PTI KKP RB RB