Deepika Padukone’s reported exit from Spirit continues to draw attention as fresh claims shed light on her equation with director Sandeep Reddy Vanga and the events surrounding the project.
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Deepika Padukone’s equation with Sandeep Reddy Vanga under spotlight again (PC: Twitter)
Deepika Padukone’s exit from Spirit has once again become a talking point after fresh claims emerged about what happened before she stepped away from the Prabhas-led filmThe actor was linked to the project in 2025 but later left it amid reports about working hours, remuneration and creative differencesNow a source close to the developments has offered a different account of her involvementAccording to the source, Deepika met director Sandeep Reddy Vanga only once and never received a complete narration of the filmThe source has also claimed that Deepika would not consider working with the filmmaker in the future.
Deepika allegedly never seriously considered Spirit
The source claimed that Deepika and Vanga had only one meeting and that the director arrived an hour lateDespite that Deepika reportedly continued with the meeting professionallyAccording to the source, only a one-line idea of Spirit was discussed during their conversationDeepika allegedly did not receive the complete narration that she usually requires before committing to a project.
The source said, “Deepika Padukone has met Sandeep Reddy Vanga all of once in her lifeNot to mention, the filmmaker arrived a whole hour late to the meeting! Deepika took the rest of the meeting professionally.”
The source further stated, “In the meeting, only a one-liner of the film was sharedShe didn’t receive a full narration of the filmDeepika never commits to a project without receiving a full narrationSo, Spirit was never a part of Deepika’s consideration set to begin with.”
Source makes strong claim about Vanga
The source also spoke about Deepika’s reported equation with Vanga and claimed that she has no interest in collaborating with himIt said, “Sandeep Reddy Vanga is the kind of filmmaker Deepika Padukone would never collaborate with, given his misogynist nature, one that is evident not only in his off-screen persona but in his movies too.”
Why did Deepika leave Spirit?
Deepika was initially in talks to star opposite Prabhas in SpiritHer exit became public in April 2025At the time reports suggested that the actor had asked for a fixed eight-hour workday as a new motherThe demand was reportedly not accepted by the production.
Her departure also became part of a wider debate around working hours remuneration and expectations placed on actors in large-scale productionsThere were later reports suggesting that Deepika had concerns about intimate scenes in the film.
Fresh claims reignite the Spirit debate
The controversy returned to the spotlight after producer and Sandeep’s brother, Pranay Reddy Vanga discussed Deepika’s exitHe claimed that remuneration and timing were among the reasons while also saying there were other factorsHe said, “The reason is the same as what was already mentionedOne was remuneration, the second was timingApart from that, there are some other reasons, tooSoon after, everything went overboard.”
He added, “See, she can ask for anythingIf we are willing to give, we can giveBut the economics 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.” Deepika later liked an Instagram post that criticised the comments made by Sandeep and Pranay while defending her reported demand for terms that male actors routinely receive.
What is happening with Spirit now?
Bollywood actress Triptii Dimri is now attached to Spirit opposite PrabhasThe first look featuring the two actors was unveiled on New Year’s Day in 2026The film also stars Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Desai and is scheduled to reach theatres on March 5, 2027.
