In an unexpected shock, Deepika Padukone is reportedly no longer part of Spirit, the much-hyped action film starring Prabhas and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
According to reports, Deepika’s exit was not a mutual decision. Sources close to the production claim that the actress had several conditions regarding her work schedule.
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She reportedly requested a strict 8-hour workday, which didn’t align with the director’s plan for an intense shooting calendar. These demands are said to have caused creative tensions between her and Vanga.
There were already rumors that Deepika and Sandeep Vanga may not see eye to eye. While Deepika is known for her feminist approach, Vanga has a reputation for being hands-on and intense on set.
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Some insiders even expected possible conflicts during the shoot, but no one thought it would fall apart before even shooting began.
This isn’t the first time Vanga has replaced his lead actress. He had earlier cast Parineeti Chopra for Animal, but later brought in Rashmika Mandanna. That move worked well for the film, which went on to become a massive success. It now remains to be seen whether Deepika’s exit from Spirit will affect the project similarly.
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Reports suggest Deepika was to earn her highest-ever paycheck—around 40 crores—for this film. But creative clashes seem to have ended the association before it even began.
Meanwhile, Deepika has now officially joined Atlee’s upcoming pan-India action film opposite Allu Arjun, according to Rahul Raut of PeepingMoon.com. This big-budget entertainer, tentatively titled AA22×A6, also stars Mrunal Thakur and Janhvi Kapoor.
Industry sources say Deepika and director Atlee had been in talks for months. They had previously worked together on the 1200-crore all-time blockbuster Jawan in 2023.
Her deal with Atlee and Allu Arjun was finalized recently, and she is expected to begin shooting once she wraps Shah Rukh Khan’s film King, which started production in Mumbai this week.
It’s unclear whether Deepika chose to prioritize the Allu Arjun film over Spirit, or if she intentionally made demands that led to her exit.
Doing both big projects at the same time may not have been feasible, especially given the scale of production involved in each.
Had things worked out differently, Deepika could have had two mammoth pan-India projects running parallel—one with Prabhas, another with Allu Arjun.
Now, it looks like Allu Arjun’s camp is the winner here. Whether this becomes Prabhas’ loss remains to be seen.
