Deepika Padukone Slams The L&T Owner For Not Understanding Mental Health Of Employees

Deepika Padukone Slams L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan Over His Comments on Work Culture, Sparks Mental Health Debate.

Instagram

Mumbai: Deepika Padukone who is a strong advocate for mental health has called out Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan for his controversial remarks on workplace culture and employee well-being. The comments, which included suggestions of extending workdays to Sundays and a dismissive tone towards personal life, have ignited a widespread debate about mental health and toxic work environments.

During an employee interaction, Subrahmanyan addressed concerns about L&T’s six-day workweek. In a video that went viral on Reddit, he said, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays.” He also made a controversial remark, questioning what employees do during their downtime, saying, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you look at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working.”

The remarks were met with a wave of backlash online, with many criticizing the chairman for trivialising employees’ need for personal time and a healthy work-life balance. Journalist Faye D’Souza also highlighted the issue on her social media, where Deepika Padukone weighed in with a sharp response.

The actress reposted Faye’s post and wrote: “Shocking to see people in such senior positions make such statements. #MentalHealthMatters.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Viral Bhayani 

Deepika, who has been vocal about her own struggles with mental health and has launched initiatives to spread awareness, didn’t hold back in calling out the remarks. Her statement resonated with many, reigniting discussions about the pressures of corporate life and the lack of emphasis on mental health in professional environments.

Following the backlash, L&T issued a justification for Subrahmanyan’s comments, but it failed to calm the storm. Critics, including Padukone, accused the company of exacerbating the issue rather than addressing it meaningfully.

This incident has brought the spotlight back on the importance of mental health and the need for empathetic leadership in large corporations. As conversations around employee well-being continue to grow, industry leaders are being reminded of their responsibility to foster healthy workplace cultures.