Suniel Shetty backs Narayana Murthy's '70-hour work week' remark, cites example of Kohli, Ratan Tata

Actor and businessman Suniel Shetty has joined the conversation around work-life balance which erupted after Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy advocated a 70-hour work week for youngsters in order to help the country in the long run.

The 62-year-old actor took to LinkedIn to share his take on the subject and said that the way he sees things, when someone like Murthy says something, is that people should listen carefully, analyse it for themselves, and take the best out of it.

"Even though this is a contentious issue, it’s important to stop and think about what he really meant. For me, it really isn’t about the number of hours. It isn’t about 70 or 100 hour weeks. The way I read his thoughts is simple - It’s about going beyond your comfort zone," he wrote.

Furthermore, Shetty cited the example of Abdul Kalam, Ratan Tata, Amitabh Bachchan, Virat Kohli as individuals who excelled in their respective fields.

"Do we really think any of these individuals got to where they did in life, by playing within their comfort zones? Do we really think any of these individuals spent the early years of their careers worrying about whether they were striking the right balance between work & life?," the 'Border' actor said.

Murthy, while speaking to former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai for a podcast, The Record, said that India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. 

"So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, ‘This is my country. I’d like to work 70 hours a week'," Murthy said, adding that this is exactly what the Germans and Japanese did after the Second World War. "They made sure that every German worked extra hours for a certain number of years".  

Pushing boundaries

Shetty, in his post, backed Narayana Murthy's comment, saying, "Why I see Mr Murthy’s statement for what it was really trying to convey, is because I do believe that young adults should spend their earliest years pushing their boundaries".

Honing skills, acquiring new ones, dealing with pressure, learning about other functions, working in collaborative environments and generally making the most of the opportunities, should be top priority for all young adults, the actor highlighted.

Shetty, whose daughter Athiya is married to Indian cricketer KL Rahul, concluded that while it is important to have time for family, health, hobby, friends as well as other things, it's also true that the world is evolving rapidly.

"Technology and AI are reshaping the world more than we can imagine. And we need to keep getting better. My dear future leaders - thrive for excellence, put in the hard work and cultivate your skills. Find mentors, build networks and invest in soft skills. The rest will fall into place," he ended.

Besides Shetty, Mohandas Pai, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, industrialist Sajjan Jindal, have also supported Murthy's statement which triggered a massive row as people slammed him for seemingly promoting a culture of overwork.  

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