Dalljiet presses for a change in working hours in the TV industry
Being a working mom, actor Dalljiet Kaur tries her best to strike the work-life balance, and ensure that she gets enough time to spend with her seven-year-old son, Jaydon. However, given the kind of hours she has to put in for her TV shoots, she says it becomes quite difficult to manage things. “Actors working on a daily soap don’t have a life because we shoot for 12 hours a day, and there’s no work-life balance,” Kaur rues.
The actor, who recently participated in a controversial reality show, adds, “As a mom, I always wish I could work for not more than 10 hours. We crave for those two hours to have for our family. We miss out on spending quality time at home. I hope it changes soon.” Besides working hours, another concern that Kaur feels need to be addressed is the 90-day pay system that many TV actors have earlier spoken about. Advocating a change in the same, Kaur, too, shares how it affects actors and brings an uncertainty in their daily lives. “Ninety days is too long a period, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your money around that time also. It has happened with me once — I got my salary after 120 days due to which my financial planning went for a toss. In such cases, you’re left with no other option but to binge into your savings which isn’t the right thing to do,” says the 37-year-old.
Kaur is currently on a break from her last show Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega, and meanwhile, has also shot for a promotional song for a film. Having been a part of the industry for over 15 years, she opines that the payment period shouldn’t be more than 45 days.
“I understand the producer’s situation that they get the money only after the show goes on air. When the producers further delay the payments, it’s not fair for us because we give our all to the show, work on erratic timings and also have to pay rent every month. Being an artiste, we’ve to look good and maintain ourselves through grooming and going to the gym, too. So, this adds to the expenses,” elaborates the actor.