Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga has opened up about the events surrounding Deepika Padukone’s departure from Spirit and the controversy that followed.
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Deepika Padukone’s Spirit exit explained by producer Pranay Reddy Vanga (PC: Twitter)
The casting of Bollywood star Deepika Padukone in Spirit had generated considerable interest when the project was first discussedHowever, the collaboration eventually did not work out and Triptii Dimri joined Prabhas in the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorialProducer Pranay Reddy Vanga has now spoken about what happened behind the scenesHe said the issue involved more than just dates or remunerationAccording to him, several factors were considered before the team decided to explore other optionsThe producer also explained why the matter became more contentious after details from private discussions began appearing publicly.
Why Deepika Padukone exited Spirit?
Pranay said Sandeep Reddy Vanga had been interested in working with Deepika for nearly one to one-and-a-half yearsThe filmmaker reportedly liked her work and wanted her for the projectHowever the discussions changed as the project progressed.
Speaking about the reasons behind the casting change with NTV Telugu, Pranay said remuneration and scheduling were among the main concernsHe also stressed that there were other factors involved and that the final decision belonged to Sandeep“First was remuneration, second was timingsNot just that, there were other reasons as wellI don’t remember on top of my head right nowBut yeah, multiple thingsIt was Sandeep’s call,” he said.
Deepika’s reported 10 percent profit demand
Pranay further claimed that the financial expectations changed after some of Deepika’s films became successfulHe said the actor began asking for 10 percent of the film’s net income after its release“But a lot changes in a period of timeEven some of her films went on to become hits, so she started demanding 10 per cent of nett income (post-release profit)Thus, everything went overboard,” Pranay said.
He added that actors are free to make demands but the producers must decide whether they can agree to those termsOnce the economics stopped making sense the makers began looking at alternatives.
What upset Sandeep Reddy Vanga?
The producer also addressed the controversy that followed the casting discussionsAccording to Pranay private details from conversations that had taken place over a long period started circulating once the team began considering other actressesHe said this particularly angered Sandeep because the director believed such discussions should remain privatePranay described Sandeep as someone who is usually calm but said the filmmaker reacted strongly because Spirit is an important project for him.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s post on the controversy
The controversy became more visible in May 2025 when Sandeep posted a strongly worded message on X about alleged “dirty PR games”Although he did not name Deepika the post was widely linked to the casting disputeSoon afterwards Triptii Dimri was announced as the female lead.
About Spirit
The Prabhas-led project is planned as a pan-world release in eight languagesAs of now, the cast includes Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Desai which is currently scheduled to arrive in cinemas on March 5 2027.
