Mumbai: Actor Sameera Reddy has shared her views on the debate surrounding 8-hour workdays for women in the film industry, saying she can understand both perspectives and does not wish to side with either camp.

Speaking to NDTV, Sameera said the issue involves balancing professional commitments with the personal realities many women, especially new mothers, face.

"Any workplace has a certain agenda. So we have to complete the work in a way so that people who have pumped money into the workplace will not struggle. At the same time, you have to keep in mind that a woman has certain restrictions when it comes to wanting time, especially with a new child. But that being said, it is a choice. The workplace should also allow one to exercise that choice. I do believe it's a kind of luxury in this country because it's still not mandatory or given. So, I feel it's a luxury for women to ask for right now. It's not the easiest. You have to balance both. It's hard," Sameera said.

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Drawing from her own experience, the actor said she chose to step away from work for some time after becoming a mother.

"I didn't work for a while when I gave birth to my children. It was my choice. So, I can't take either side. I understand both sides," Sameera summed up.

The discussion gained momentum after Deepika Padukone reportedly exited Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, over specific working conditions that allegedly included a request for an 8-hour workday. Months later, makers of the Kalki 2898 AD sequel also announced her departure, saying a project of that scale required a higher level of "commitment".

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Deepika later addressed the controversy, arguing that the demand had become an issue because she was a woman.

"By virtue of being a woman, if that's coming across as pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that many superstars, male superstars, in the Indian film industry, have been working for 8 hours for years, and it's never made headlines!

"I don't want to take names now and make this into a whole thing, but it is widely, publicly known that many male actors have been working for 8 hours a day for years. Many of them only work for 8 hours from Monday to Friday. They do not work on weekends," she said.

Sameera made her acting debut with Maine Dil Tujhko Diya and later featured in films such as Race, Vaaranam Aayiram and De Dana Dan. She married entrepreneur Akshai Varde in 2014, and they have two children.