Deepika Padukone-Sandeep Reddy Vanga row explained: Mudslinging & angry tweets over Triptii Dimri replacing DP in Spirit

Deepika Padukone has been replaced by Triptii Dimri in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Prabhas-starrer Spirit, sparking an ugly row on social media.

It was a blockbuster combination. Sandeep Reddy Vanga, of Animal and Kabir Singh fame, was returning to Telugu cinema, and superstar Prabhas joined him. Titled Spirit, the film found its female lead in Deepika Padukone, further adding to the scale and star power of the film. However, last week reports emerged that Deepika had exited the film. Even as reports quoted anonymous sources saying it was the actor's 'unprofessional' demands that led to her ouster, fans defended her. Now, as Triptii Dimri has replaced Deepika in the film, a new report - and Vanga's angry reaction to it - has sparked the fire once again. (

Deepika Padukone has been replaced by Triptii Dimri in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Prabhas-starrer Spirit.

Deepika Padukone's exit from Spirit

Deepika had been signed for Vanga's Spirit opposite Prabhas earlier this year. This marked the actor's second Telugu pan-India project after Kalki 2898 AD, which also starred Prabhas. However, last week, it was reported that Deepika had walked out of the film. Bollywood Hungama quoted a source as saying, “Sandeep Reddy Vanga got the shock of his life when Deepika Padukone refused to shoot for more than six hours a day for Spirit. That’s not all—the actress, via her agency, also began to demand amendments to the contract. Their main contention was simple: if the shoot extended beyond 100 days, Deepika would need to be paid extra for every single day beyond the agreed schedule.”

Allegations and counter-claims

Soon, headlines about Deepika's 'unprofessional' demands began to do the rounds. Some reports claimed, without attribution, that Deepika refused to dub the Telugu dialogue, which was the breaking point. The actor herself maintained silence on the matter. However, sources close to the actor have claimed that there is a lot of exaggeration in what was reported. The source told HT that Deepika's demands were 'in line with her stardom and status of a new mother'. The source claims that the actor was trying to balance time for her daughter, Dua, while obliging professional commitments.

Triptii Dimri replaces Deepika in Spirit

On Saturday, Vanga and T-Series, the production house backing Spirit, announced that they had found a new female lead for the film - Triptii Dimri. Sandeep Reddy Vanga took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that Triptii Dimri will be the female lead in Spirit. He wrote, “The female lead for my film is now official :-).”

Triptii also shared the post on Instagram, writing, “Still sinking in…. So grateful to be trusted with this journey. Thank you @sandeepreddy.vanga ..honoured to be a part of your vision.” This is Triptii's second film with the maverick director after her breakthrough role in Animal.

The 'leaked' plot and Vanga's angry response

On Monday, a Pinkvilla report detailed the basic plot of Spirit, noting that the film is an A-rated thriller in which Prabhas plays a cop. The report shared more details, including references to certain 'bold scenes' between the lead pair. It implied that the intimate scenes 'are pushing things too far' in the script.

Later in the day, an angry Sandeep Reddy Vanga took to X to imply that the leak had come from Deepika. While he did not name the actor specifically, the filmmaker wrote, "When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) between us. But by doing this, you've 'DISCLOSED' the person that you are.... Putting down a Younger actor and ousting my story? Is this what your feminism stands for?" Vanga directed his anger at the leak and also at the insinuation that Triptii would be pushing the boundaries with the intimate scenes.

What do the fans think

Even as Vanga did not name anyone in his angry tweet, the internet was quick to imply that it was Deepika who was his target. Right now, social media users are neatly divided in their allegiances in this row. Many criticise Deepika for allegedly leaking the film's plot and also putting down Triptii in that manner. They feel this is beneath an actor of her stature. Others, however, have criticised Vanga and the team of Spirit for the original articles that labelled Deepika's demands as unprofessional.

About Spirit

Spirit marks the first-ever on-screen collaboration between Prabhas and Triptii Dimri and her second collaboration with director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, producer Bhushan Kumar, and Pranay Reddy Vanga, following the success of Animal. Backed by T-Series and Bhadrakali Pictures, Spirit will feature Prabhas as a fierce and intense police officer. The film is currently in pre-production and is set to go on floors in 2025.