Deepika Padukone asked for 10% of Spirit movie profits, claims Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s brother. He reveals two major reasons behind actress' exit

Deepika Padukone’s reported exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit has once again become a talking point. The actress was reported to have walked out of the Prabhas-led film in May last year amid creative differences. Deepika herself or her team didn't publicly confirm the reason for her departure. Soon after the reports surfaced, the makers announced Triptii Dimri as the female lead opposite Prabhas. Now, producer Pranay Reddy Vanga, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s brother, has made fresh claims about what led to the change in casting.

Pranay Reddy Vanga reveals why Deepika exited Spirit

In a recent interview with NTV, Pranay Reddy Vanga discussed the circumstances surrounding Deepika’s exit from Spirit. He said the discussions with the actress involved more than one issue, with remuneration and working hours being among the main points.


According to Pranay, the team had been in discussions with Deepika for around 18 months. He said Sandeep was keen to cast her in the film and had spent considerable time discussing the project with her.



Pranay explained that the negotiations eventually became difficult because of differences over the actress’ fee and the amount of time she would spend working on the project. He also suggested that Deepika’s recent box-office success had strengthened her position during the discussions.

While the reported eight-hour workday had previously received considerable attention, Pranay indicated that it was not the only issue involved. He said there were “other reasons” as well, without providing details about all of them.

The producer also clarified that the final decision to move ahead without Deepika was made by Sandeep. The filmmaker subsequently brought Triptii Dimri on board for the role.

Deepika allegedly sought 10% share of film profits

One of the major claims made by Pranay concerns the financial negotiations. According to him, "She demanded 10 per cent of the film's profit. Soon after, everything went overboard. See, she can ask for anything. If we are willing to give, we can give. But the economics (budget) 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."



He further claimed that the disagreement was not simply about an additional Rs 5-6 crore being added to Deepika’s fee. Instead, according to his version of events, the proposed profit-sharing arrangement was one of the factors that made it difficult for the team to continue negotiations.

Pranay also made another allegation concerning information about the film. He claimed, "We discussed the story and character with her. Things discussed internally should not be revealed, but she leaked all of them. That is why we are disturbed."

According to Pranay, the team was unhappy because information discussed privately during their conversations was allegedly disclosed. However, these remain claims from Pranay, and Deepika has not publicly confirmed his version of events.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s cryptic post and Deepika’s upcoming films

Deepika’s exit from Spirit had already generated considerable discussion before Pranay’s latest comments. Reports at the time suggested that the actress had asked for an eight-hour workday, while other reports focused on differences over remuneration and the film’s working arrangements.

The controversy grew further when details about the film’s story and an alleged “A-rated action” element reportedly surfaced. Sandeep later appeared to address the situation through a post on X, although he did not name the actor involved.

In the post, Sandeep said that when he shares a story with an actor, he does so with complete trust and expects the information to remain confidential. He appeared upset that details discussed privately had allegedly been made public.

He also questioned whether criticising or undermining a younger actor could be justified in the name of feminism. Sandeep stressed that filmmaking was extremely important to him and expressed frustration over what he described as the disclosure of confidential information.

The filmmaker ended his post with a sarcastic remark suggesting that the entire story should be revealed publicly if confidentiality was no longer being respected. He also used the hashtag “Dirty PR Games.”

Meanwhile, Deepika has several major projects ahead. She is set to star alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan and Abhishek Bachchan in Siddharth Anand’s King. The actress is also part of Atlee’s upcoming film Raaka, which features Allu Arjun in the lead role.

As for Spirit, Prabhas will headline the film with Triptii Dimri as the female lead. Stay tuned for more details.