Deepika Padukone fans defend her after movie ouster: ‘As if Prabhas only thinks about Kalki 2898 AD'

Vyjayanthi Movies announced that Deepika Padukone will not star in the sequel of Kalki 2898 AD because the role demands more commitment.

The makers of Kalki 2898 AD, Vyjayanthi Movies, made a shocking announcement on Thursday that actor Deepika Padukone will not be a part of the sequel. Deepika, who played Sumati in the 2023 release, was one of the leads of the film. Her exit announcement has now angered many, with many fans of the actor asking how such an accusatory comment on ‘commitment’ was made on her.

Deepika Padukone played Sumati in Kalki 2898 AD.

The announcement by Kalki 2898 AD makers

The announcement read: “This is to officially announce that @deepikapadukone will not be a part of the upcoming sequel of #Kalki2898AD. After careful consideration, we have decided to part ways."

It continued, "Despite the long journey of making the first film, we were unable to find a partnership. And a film like @Kalki2898AD deserves that commitment and much more. We wish her the best with her future works."

How Deepika fans reacted

Reacting to the announcement, a fan commented, “Lack of commitment as if Prabhas is free at home and only fully concentrating on just Kalki, what nonsense!” Prabhas is now working on Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit and the horror-comedy The Raja Saab.

Another said, “Her as Sumathi touched my heart so much that I can't even imagine any other actress. In the scene where she was walking through the fire tunnel, it touched my heart so much that I cried. I am so done.” “Your loss purely. #DeepikaPadukone will have better projects to work on,” said a second fan.

A comment read, “Disappointed to the core, so you'll show reincarnation of sumathi in next part with some other?? unprofessional behaviour at its best. glad, deepika get rid of you guyss. she deserve better!!” Another said, “TBH, she was the highlight of the movie for me... And not having her onboard seems pretty stupid to me…” “Deepika doesn’t need #Kalki2898AD, but Kalki needs Deepika. Deepika was the backbone of Kalki. No one will watch Kalki without Deepika,” said a fan.

Many also felt the announcement was unnecessarily harsh and also unprofessional. A user said, “The language of this message is unprofessional and needlessly abrasive.” “Extremely tasteless way to announce this. Do better,” addressed another.

Kalki 2898 AD starred Deepika alongside lead actor Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Disha Patani. Her performance in the film was praised by critics and fans alike.

Deepika was last seen in Singham Again, helmed by Rohit Shetty. The film also starred Ranveer, Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff among others. It released in theatres last year. She was recently announced as the female lead for a sci-fi film from filmmaker Atlee and co-starring Allu Arjun. Produced by Sun Pictures, it is tentatively titled AA22 x A6.