Deepika Padukone has silently reacted to the latest Spirit controversyThe actor liked a social media post that questioned the criticism surrounding her reported profit-share demand
Published: August 22, 2026, 2:40 PM IST
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Deepika Padukone reacts to Spirit exit (PC: Instagram)
The ongoing controversy surrounding Deepika Padukone’s exit from Spirit has suddenly returned to the spotlight, more than a year after the actor walked away from the Prabhas-led filmThis time, the discussion began after producer Pranay Reddy Vanga, brother of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, spoke about the reasons behind the casting changeHis comments included a claim about Deepika’s reported demand for a share of the film’s profits, adding a fresh layer to an old controversyDeepika has not issued a detailed statement in response, but she has now seemingly made her position clear in another wayThe actor liked a social media post that criticised the Vanga brothers and questioned the reaction to her reported demands
Deepika Padukone likes post criticising Sandeep Reddy Vanga and brother
On Friday, journalist Janvi Manchanda shared an Instagram post discussing the latest comments about Deepika Padukone’s exit from Spirit. In the caption, she wrote, “Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s brother Pranay claims Deepika Padukone asked for 10% profit share of Spirit and I’m just wondering, did we forget male actors have been doing this for years? Why is a woman doing the same NEWS?”
The post questioned why Deepika’s alleged demand for a 10 per cent profit share was being treated differently when male actors have negotiated similar arrangements in the pastThe post also described the reaction as a case of double standards towards a woman asking for what has become common among leading male starsDeepika liked the post, which has been widely interpreted as her way of showing support for the argument without making a direct statement of her own
The first slide of the Instagram post reads, “Breaking: Deepika Padukone Allegedly Wanted 10% Of Spirit’s ProfitsJudging by the meltdown, you’d think she asked for the entire film and Vanga estateSounds like we have a full-blown male-ego crisis on our handsA woman rejected a deal, and misogyny couldn’t handle a woman’s “no.””
One of its another slide reads, “But Deepika Padukone made a mistakeShe said “no” to a deal that didn’t work for herAnd men have historically handled rejection beautifully: She rejected meWhat an attitudeShe said noWhat a b***hShe walked awayHow dare she Different settingSame misogynySame fragile male ego.”
What did Pranay Reddy Vanga say about Deepika’s Spirit exit?
In a recent interview with NTV Telugu, Pranay Reddy Vanga (brother of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga) discussed the reasons behind Deepika Padukone leaving SpiritAccording to his account, remuneration, working hours, and other factors were involved in the discussionsHe also claimed that Deepika had asked for 10 per cent of the film’s profits.
He said, “The reason is the same as what was already mentionedOne was remuneration, the second was timingApart from that, there are some other reasons tooShe demanded 10 percent from the film’s profitSoon after, everything went overboardSee, she can ask for anythingIf we are willing to give, we can giveBut the economics [budget] should also work out for usWe thought that it was not workingThis is why we thought of other optionsOnce we started looking for other options, they started leaking everything,”
Pranay Vanga opens up about why Sandeep Vanga decided to remove Deepika Padukone from Spirit and what actually happened behind the scenes#SandeepReddyVanga #PranayReddyVanga #Spirit #DeepikaPadukone pic.twitter.com/Jp0hAzH6zn
— Vangaism (@imvangaism) August 20, 2026
Pranay said the makers considered the financial arrangement and felt it did not work within the film’s budgetHe also alleged that after the team began considering other casting options, discussions around the film and its story reached the mediaThese are claims made by Pranay and as of now Depika has not yet officially shared any statement on this matter.
About Spirit
Spirit is an upcoming pan-Indian action-drama film directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and starring Prabhas as a fierce police officerDeepika Padukone was originally expected to star opposite Prabhas in Spirit, but she eventually exited the project. Triptii Dimri was later brought on board as the female lead. Spirit is currently scheduled for release in March 2027.
