Deepika Padukone dropped out of Kalki 2 after Spirit? Sources reveal TRUTH, ‘absolutely…’

Reports suggested that Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone has been dropped from yet another project, following her infamous fallout with director Sandeep Reddy Vanga over his film, Spirit. But why? It was said that she was dropped out of Kalki 2 due to friction with its lead actor, Prabhas. Another rumour suggested makers of the sequel of Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD were considering trimming or removing Deepika's role entirely.

Deepika Padukone dropped from Kalki 2?

Amid this, a source close to the team has reacted to these rumours.

Talking to NDTV, a source called the rumours of “friction on sets”, dismissing them as “absolutely false”. According to the source, Kalki 2 is yet to hit the shooting floors. “No shoot, no sets, no interaction and therefore, no question of a fallout,” the unnamed source added.

Kalki 2898 AD, starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone saw a massive success, minting ₹1,042.25 crore worldwide. It also featured Kamal Haasan.

Reports on Deepika being dropped from Kalki 2

Previously reports claimed that the Kalki 2 shoot could be delayed following Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's baby. The two welcomed their baby daughter, Dua Padukone Singh last year.

However, Kalki 2 without Deepika isn't possible, as revealed by the director earlier. Nag Ashwin had said that Deepika’s role was the backbone of his film. Therefore it would not be possible to make the sequel without her.

Deepika Padukone vs Sandeep Reddy Vanga

The fallout between Deepika and Vanga reportedly happened after Deepika who is a new mom, requested an 8-hour workday, which came down to 6 hours of actual shoot. She reportedly also demanded ₹20 crore as her salary for the film alongside a share in the film's profits.

A source previously told Bollywood Hungama, "Sandeep Reddy Vanga got the shock of his life when Deepika Padukone refused to shoot for more than 6 hours a day for Spirit. That's not all, the actress, via her agency, also started to demand an amendment to the contract. Their point of contention was simple - if the shoot extends beyond 100 days, Deepika will have to be paid extra for every single day of shoot beyond the commitment on paper."

Around the same time, Sandeep Reddy Vanga also shared a strong post on X.

He 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? As a filmmaker, I put years of hard work behind my craft & for me, filmmaking is everything. You didn't get it. You won't get it. You will never get it."

Later, Deepika was replaced with Triptii Dimri in Spirit, alongside Prabhas.