Cinema VinesIn a recent interview with NTV Telugu, producer Pranay Reddy Vanga, brother of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, shed new light on why Bollywood star Deepika Padukone walked away from the Prabhas‑starrer Spirit. Vanga said the actress’s demands for an eight‑hour workday and a 10 percent share of the film’s profits were only part of a larger disagreement over remuneration, scheduling and the overall budget of the project.
The producer revealed that talks with Padukone had stretched over a year and a half, during which the director had remained keen on casting her. However, the two sides could not reach a compromise on the financial terms. Vanga explained that the requested profit share would have pushed the film’s budget beyond what the makers were willing to accept, stating, “We thought that it was not working.” He added that the issue was not simply an additional ₹5‑6 crore in her fee but a broader concern about the economics of the film.
Vanga also accused Padukone of leaking details about the story and her character after the makers began considering other actresses for the role. He claimed that once the search for alternatives started, the actress revealed internal discussions that were meant to remain confidential. “Once we started looking for other options, they started leaking everything,” he said, expressing his distress over the breach of trust.
The controversy echoes a cryptic post by director Sandeep Reddy Vanga in May 2025, in which he warned that an actor had betrayed his confidence by sharing private information. Vanga’s comments highlight the tension between creative control and the commercial realities of big‑budget films, and they underscore the challenges that can arise when star power and financial expectations collide.
