Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga reveals why Deepika Padukone was dropped from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's upcoming film Spirit.
Negotiations broke down after Padukone demanded a 10% share of the film's profits.
Disagreements also involved Padukone's working hours, including a previously reported demand for an eight-hour workday.
Deepika Padukone’s exit from the Prabhas-starrer Spirit became the talk of the town. The actress had reportedly decided to leave the film over the reported eight-hour working shift, high remuneration and other things. Deepika's Spirit controversy has resurfaced again following fresh claims by producer Pranay Reddy Vanga. Spirit is directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
Why Deepika Padukone left Spirit
In an interview with NTV, Pranay opened up about the reasons behind Deepika's departure.
Pranay said the disagreement was due to remuneration and profit-sharing, alongside timing, and that's why Sandeep chose to drop the actress.
Demands for profit sharing
Sandeep Reddy Vanga negotiated with Deepika for approximately 1.5 years. The filmmaker considered her recent box office success as a key factor during the casting discussions. The talks ultimately stalled over financial disagreements.
Detailing the breakdown, Pranay said, "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."
Pranay also claimed that Deepika demanded a 10% share of the film's profits rather than a standard fee increase of ₹5–6 crore.
Pranay said, "She demanded 10% 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."
Allegations of story leaks
Pranay also alleged that Deepika leaked confidential story and character details.
"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," he added.
Post Deepika's exit, Triptii Dimri was taken on board for the project.
