Deepika Padukone Reportedly No Longer Part Of Prabhas-Starrer 'Spirit', Here’s Why
Looks like a Deepika Padukone–Prabhas reunion might not be happening. Here’s what reportedly went wrong.
Looks like the much-hyped on-screen reunion of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ co-stars Deepika Padukone and Prabhas might not happen anytime soon. Buzz from Telugu media suggests that Deepika is no longer a part of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming action film ‘Spirit’. The reason? A mix of scheduling expectations, language preferences and a few conditions that allegedly didn’t sit well with the director. According to Telugu outlets like Gulte, Deepika was initially locked to star opposite Prabhas in ‘Spirit’, a big-budget actioner that had fans excited about their potential reunion.
However, the latest reports indicate that she was either “dropped” or chose to walk away from the project after Sandeep Reddy Vanga was reportedly “left fuming” over what sources are calling “a series of demands.”
A report by Times of India shed more light on the situation. As a new mother, Deepika Padukone reportedly proposed an 8-hour workday, with only 6 hours dedicated to shoot time. Alongside that, she was said to have requested a Rs 20 crore fee, profit-sharing, and expressed reluctance to deliver her dialogues in Telugu, allegedly asking for her lines to be dubbed instead. These combined requests seemingly created a deadlock in negotiations, leading Sandeep Reddy Vanga to begin scouting for a replacement.
So far, there has been no official confirmation from either the makers of ‘Spirit’ or Deepika Padukone’s team about her attachment – or exit – from the film.
Indian Express quoted a source close to the matter as saying, “As new mother, it’s not an unfair ask to do eight hours of shift a day. Every actor who enters motherhood naturally gets more selective and conditional. We’ve seen that not only in the film business, but across all industries, organizations are getting more and more accommodating with new mothers.”
Earlier this month, Deepika gave a candid interview to Marie Claire, where she opened up about how motherhood is reshaping her priorities. She recalled an instance when a filmmaker was surprised she declined a meeting because she wanted to spend time with her new born daughter, Dua.
According to Deepika, he said, “Oh, looks like she’s taking motherhood very seriously.”
“I don’t know if that was a compliment or a jab. What does that mean, taking motherhood seriously. I don’t know if [work] will be what it used to be before I had a baby, and I don’t even know if I want to be that way…is [this] my new routine and schedule? Let’s see how that evolves,” she added.
She further said, “I do have to tell myself that your life doesn’t end the minute you have a child, and that you do need to get back to your life, or at least a part of your life before you had a baby…but every moment where I’m not able to be with her, there is guilt.”
While ‘Spirit’ may no longer be on her plate, Deepika Padukone has other exciting projects in the pipeline. She’s reportedly set to begin shooting for Siddharth Anand’s crime thriller ‘King’ in the second half of 2025.
The film reunites her with Shah Rukh Khan after ‘Pathaan’. It also stars Suhana Khan, Abhay Verma, and Abhishek Bachchan.
Deepika and Ranveer Singh, who tied the knot in Lake Como in 2018, welcomed their daughter Dua in September 2024. Ranveer, too, has embraced parenthood with enthusiasm. He is currently shooting for Aditya Dhar’s action drama, with Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Don 3’ lined up for next year.
