It was in April 2025 that Deepika Padukone decided not to be a part of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit. It is August 2026, and somehow, we are still talking about it. The actor’s exit from the pan-India film caused a huge uproar, with the filmmaker hurling allegations on social media and the industry debating work hours for artistes. The row erupted once again this week when Pranay, the director’s brother, claimed one of the reasons for Deepika’s exit was her demand for a profit share. Now, Hindustan Times has learnt the other version of events for the first time, as a highly-placed source close to the developments has informed us why the actor chose not to do the film.
‘Deepika never commits to a film without full narration’
Hindustan Times reached out to a source close to the developments, who shared, “Deepika Padukone has met Sandeep Reddy Vanga all of once in her life. Not to mention, the filmmaker arrived a whole hour late to the meeting! Deepika took the rest of the meeting professionally. In the meeting, only a one-liner of the film was shared. She didn’t receive a full narration of the film. Deepika never commits to a project without receiving a full narration. So, Spirit was never a part of Deepika’s consideration set to begin with.”
‘She would never collaborate with him’
The source added that Deepika has no inclination to work with the filmmaker: “Sandeep Reddy Vanga is the kind of filmmaker Deepika Padukone would never collaborate with, given his misogynist nature: one that is greatly evident not only in his off-screen persona but in his movies too.”
The drama around Deepika’s exit from Spirit
Deepika Padukone was in talks with Sandeep Reddy Vanga for his Prabhas-starrer Spirit last year. But in April, it emerged that the actor had exited the project. The actor reportedly asked for a fixed 8-hour workday as a new mother, a demand that was not met by the film’s production. The makers of Kalki 2898 AD also announced her exit from the sequel through a post on X, sparking online debate about professionalism, work-hour limits, and remuneration in high-budget projects.
After reports emerged that Triptii Dimri would be replacing Deepika, it was claimed that Deepika left the film because she was uncomfortable with certain intimate scenes. At this point, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared an angry message on Twitter seemingly directed at Deepika. “When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) between us. But by doing this, you’ve ‘DISCLOSED’ the person that you are…. Putting down a Younger actor and ousting my story? Is this what your feminism stands for?” he wrote in May 2025.
The controversy erupted again this past week after Pranay, Sandeep’s brother, claimed that one of the reasons for Deepika’s exit was her demand for 10% profit share in the film. Speaking with NTV Telugu, Pranay Reddy Vanga added, “The reason is the same as what was already mentioned. One was remuneration, the second was timing. Apart from that, there are some other reasons, too. Soon after, everything went overboard. See, she can ask for anything. If we are willing to give, we can give. But the economics should also work out for us. We thought that it was not working. This is why we thought of other options. Once we started looking for other options, they started leaking everything.”
On Friday, Deepika liked a post on Instagram that called out Sandeep and Pranay for their stance, which praised the actor for asking for ‘what men routinely get’ in the industry.
All about Spirit and Deepika’s new projects
Triptii eventually was cast as the film’s female lead opposite Prabhas. The first look featuring the two actors was launched on New Year’s Day 2026. The film also stars Vivek Oberoi in the lead role, and is slated to release on March 5, 2027. Deepika, on the other hand, has two projects lined up. She will reunite with Shah Rukh Khan in King, slated to release in December. This will be followed by Atlee’s Raaka opposite Allu Arjun, which releases next year.