The 'Spirit' Fallout: How Deepika Padukone's exit sparked a storm around Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Next

In an industry where star castings often become headline events, few stories in 2025 caused as much buzz — and controversy — as Deepika Padukone’s brief association with Spirit, the upcoming action thriller by Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, starring Prabhas in the lead. What began as an exciting prospect of two of the country's biggest stars collaborating quickly unraveled into a public controversy, allegations, and a casting shuffle that set social media abuzz.

Here’s the timeline of how it all unfolded.

2nd May: Deepika joins Spirit

It all began when Pinkvilla reported in early May 2025 that Deepika Padukone had been cast opposite Prabhas in Spirit, marking her first collaboration with Sandeep Reddy Vanga. The news created considerable excitement. Given the blockbuster success of Animal and Vanga’s growing reputation as a hard-hitting filmmaker, the casting of Deepika seemed like a bold, high-profile move.

The prospect of seeing Deepika and Prabhas together on screen, under Vanga’s intense storytelling, had fans and trade pundits equally intrigued.

May 21st : Trouble Behind the Scenes

Even as fans celebrated the announcement, behind the scenes, things began to get complicated. Industry insiders started whispering about creative differences between Deepika and the Spirit team.

According to multiple reports, Deepika had raised concerns about certain sequences in the film’s script and had requested an 8-hour workday and how she wont speak her dialogues in Telugu. Additionally, there were reports that Deepika quoted a fee in the ballpark of Rs 20 crore along with a profit cut , which allegedly did not sit well with the production team. Different source kept on increasing Deepika’s remuneration for the film from Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore to even Rs 40 crore.

While neither party made an official statement at the time, sources close to the project hinted that the team was “unhappy” with her “demands,” leading to tensions that soon reached a breaking point, while many in the media even calling Deepika’s demands unreasonable while another section called it fair.

Back in the day also Deepika had let go of a big project when the filmmaker had not agreed to her demands, during a panel discussion on NDTV she said , “ I know my track record,I know what I'm worth - I know his films( male actor’s) haven't been doing as well as my films were doing..so it made no sense. So I was ok to say no to that film..based on that one thing because I think it was unfair and today I’m ready to take those steps or measures for myself because I will be able to sleep peacefully at night. I dont think I'd be able to live with thought that I’m part of a film , had the same creative contribution or brought the same value but being underpaid .. I wasn' t ok with that”.

May 24- Enter’s Tripti Dimrii

With Deepika’s exit, quite a few names began to do the rounds of who could be stepping into her shoes. Before it would begin another chain of reaction Sandeep Reddy Vanga announced that he would be teaming up with his Animal actress Triptii Dimri for this one. It was reported that she would be charging Rs 4 crore for the film.

May 28, 2025: Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Cryptic Post

The controversy escalated dramatically when director Sandeep Reddy Vanga took to X (formerly Twitter) on May 28, 2025, posting a cryptic message. He wrote, “ 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 ? As a filmmaker, I put years of hard work behind my craft & for me, filmmaking is everything. You didn't get it. You won't get it. You will never get it.Aisa karo.... Agli baar poori kahani bolna... kyunki mujhe jarra bhi farak nahi padtha.
#dirtyPRgames I like this kahawath very much :-) खुंदक में बिल्ली खंबा नोचे !”

While Vanga did not name Deepika directly, industry watchers and social media users immediately connected the dots. The implication was clear, and the post sent shockwaves through the film fraternity.

May 29, 2025: Deepika Breaks Her Silence

A day later, Deepika indirectly addressed the situation during a media interaction for one of her brand events. When asked about her approach for choosing projects and maintaining balance in her life she said , “ just listen to my gut, to what feels right,” . She also added, “I think it is easier said than done, but when you just shut out the noise around you and listen to your gut, I think the answers are always there.I think, wanting to collaborate with people that I'm going to have a good time working with, surrounding myself with family, friends and being authentic is how I am able to find my balance.”

Her dignified yet pointed response was seen by many as a subtle rebuttal to the allegations swirling around her.


While Spirit now moves ahead with Triptii Dimri on board, the controversy has left behind a cautionary tale of star collaborations gone wrong. For Deepika Padukone, it’s another example of standing her ground in an industry where such decisions often come at a cost.bShe went on and signed Atlee- Allu Arjun’s untitled next besides returning to the big screen with Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Anand’s King.