Dulquer Salmaan opens up about 8-hour shifts and his surprising on set Mahanati experience

It is that time of the year when we look back and see what made headlines in 2025. One particular topic that has become a talking point across the country is the eight-hour working shift on film sets. 

Dulquer Salmaan reveals how Mahanati changed his view on set working hours

Ever since Deepika Padukone made a statement demanding eight-hour shifts on film sets, the discussion has exploded. So much is being said, and every actor and producer seems to have a different approach.

Dulquer Salmaan, who is also a popular producer of films such as Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra and Kaantha, opened up about working hours in his latest interview with the Hollywood Reporter India. Dulquer states that conditions vary across industries, and in Malayalam cinema, he is used to shooting for long hours, and a pack-up callout would thrill the team, who would often clap.

Dulquer then revealed that after working such long hours, he was pleasantly surprised when he landed in Telugu cinema on the sets of Mahanati. 

“I used to shoot my Malayalam films for long hours, and we would end up wrapping a film in 35 days. But for Mahanati, I was asked to give 20 days stretched over a period of three months. That eventually stretched to nine months, and I ended up giving 40 days. The shoot was planned in such a way that I was relieved by 6 PM every day and did not have much to do. My daughter had just been born, and my family was away. So the moment pack-up was announced, I would start thinking about what to do to kill time,” says Dulquer.

He also added that the specified working hours on film sets are cultural and not planned. “Every industry is structured differently. I feel it is more cultural, and how one operates in their own backyard is drastically different. So one cannot set a fixed time frame to wrap up a shoot as it depends on the team, the people leading it, and other factors,” says Dulquer.

Dulquer's next Telugu biggie is Aakasamlo Oka Tara

The star hero played a key role in Mahanati, and his performance made him a sensation in the Telugu states. He is now working on three back-to-back Telugu films, and the first to hit the screens is Aakasamlo Oka Tara, which is being produced by the makers of Mahanati.

Also Read: Kaantha OTT release: Here’s the tentative streaming date of Dulquer Salmaan’s period film

FAQs

Q. When will I'm Game release in theatres?

A. An update on the release of Dulquer Salmaan's I'm Game has not been revealed yet.

Q. Is Kaantha a biopic?

A. Kaantha is not a biopic but a fictional film loosely based on incidents from the 1950s Tamil cinema.

Q. Where can I watch the Kaantha movie?

A. Kaantha was released in theatres on November 14, and has ended its run. The film is expected to head to Netflix, with the streamer said to have set December 12 as the date for the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam versions.