Deepika Padukone only met Sandeep Reddy Vanga once, says no narration happened: ‘I would never work with him’ – Report |

Deepika Padukone walked away from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirit’ in April 2025. Her exit from the pan-India project had sparked a huge controversy at the time, with the filmmaker making allegations on social media and the industry engaging in a larger debate over actors’ working hours. The controversy resurfaced this week after Pranay, the director’s brother, claimed that one of the reasons behind Deepika’s exit was her alleged demand for a share of the film’s profits.

Deepika Padukone met Sandeep Reddy Vanga only once

According to Hindustan Times, Deepika met Sandeep only once in her life and the filmmaker was an hour late for the meeting. The actress took the rest of the meeting with professionalism. At the meeting, only one phrase from the film was shared. He did not receive a full narration of the film. Furthermore, the report also mentions that Deepika never commits to a project without being given a full narration. So ‘Spirit’ was never part of Deepika’s consideration to begin with. Sandeep is the kind of filmmaker Deepika would never collaborate with, given his misogynistic nature: one that is very evident not only in his off-screen personality but also in his films.

Deepika Padukone’s demand for fixed work hours

Last year, Deepika had been in talks with Sandeep for ‘Spirit’, her project starring Prabhas. However, in April it came to light that she had walked away from the film. Reports suggested that the actress, as a new mother, had requested a fixed eight-hour workday, a demand the production reportedly did not accept. Around the same time, the makers of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ also announced their departure from the sequel through a post on

Deepika Padukone faces backlash from Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Following reports that Triptii Dimri would step in as Deepika’s replacement, claims emerged suggesting that Deepika had quit the film due to her discomfort with certain intimate scenes. Reacting to this, director Sandeep posted an angry message on Twitter, apparently directed at Deepika. In May 2025, he wrote: “When I narrate a story to an actor, I put 100% faith. There is an unspoken NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) between us. But by doing this, you have ‘DISCLOSED’ the person you are… Dissing a younger actor and overthrowing my story? Is this what your feminism represents?”

Deepika Padukone’s alleged demand for profit sharing

The debate resurfaced last week when Pranay, Sandeep’s brother, claimed that Deepika’s exit was partly due to her demand for a 10% share of the film’s profits. In an interaction with NTV Telugu, Pranay Reddy, “The reason is the same as already mentioned. One was remuneration, the second was timing. Apart from that, there are other reasons as well. Shortly after everything went overboard. Look, she can ask for anything. If we are willing to give, we can give. But the economy should work for us too. We thought it wasn’t working. That’s why we thought about other options. “Once we started looking at other options, they started filtering everything out.”

Deepika Padukone’s response to the backlash

On Friday, Deepika liked an Instagram post rejecting Sandeep and Pranay’s comments, applauding her for demanding “what men usually get” within the industry.

Deepika Padukone’s upcoming projects

Meanwhile, Triptii has bagged the female lead role in the film opposite Prabhas, and her first look was released on New Year’s Day 2026. The cast also includes Vivek Oberoi in a lead role, and the film is scheduled to hit the screens on March 5, 2027. As for Deepika, she has two upcoming releases lined up, ‘King’, which reunites her with Shah Rukh Khan and will release in December, and Atlee. ‘Raaka’ opposite Allu Arjun will release next year.