Seems like the stars are aligned for Deepika Padukone professionally. The actor, who is busy embracing motherhood, has become demanding professionally. The actor was dropped from Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Spirit, and Tripti Dimri took her part.
It was then reported that Deepika had commitment and time constraints, especially work timings for Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. On Thursday, the makers of Kalki 2898 AD took to social media to make an announcement that Deepika won’t be a part of the sequel.
They tweeted, “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. Despite the long journey of making the first film, we were unable to find a partnership.”
Netizens have given a mixed response to Deepika’s exit from the film. Some claimed that she isn’t the only person who has become a mother; there are many actors who are managing their careers and also their children.
A netizen tweeted, “Deepika has a lot of HEAD WEIGHT proved time and again with multiple directors and producers. Every industry should boycott her…”
One more X user tweeted, “When an actress can’t give her fullest to a movie, that too in a film which revolves around her role (Mother of God), removing her is the best decision to take! I don’t know what’s wrong with #DeepikaPadukone, she had issues with other films too!”
The next one wrote, “It’s sad to see #DeepikaPadukone sabotaging her own career since 2019. She should have focused more on her work and career than on trying to become the flag-bearer of ‘woke’ activism. And she isn’t even a genuine intellectual like #ShabanaAzmi. She’s coming across as an arrogant & pretentious celebrity who is simply living in ivory towers. Does @deepikapadukone not realise that her PR team is giving her all the WRONG suggestions? Her professional & public image after being turfed out of #Spirit & #Kalki2898AD is totally TATTERED. No big actors & directors, even in Bollywood, want to work with her. Wake up before it’s too late.”
One fan asked, “Why? Give the proper reasons… she is playing an important role in Kalki.”
Another mentioned, “After Spirit, Deepika Padukone was removed from another big-budget movie from the Telugu Industry..! What is the real story behind these removals?”
The development comes as a surprise, especially since Deepika headlined the first instalment of the sci-fi epic alongside Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan.
Deepika was dropped from the film Spirit. What went wrong?
This isn’t the first time the actor has faced a setback with major projects. Back in May, Deepika was replaced in Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. It was widely reported that Deepika Padukone had been cast opposite Prabhas. However, several media outlets later claimed that Deepika opted out of the film due to unmet demands. She wanted to limit her shooting schedule to six hours a day, citing her motherhood responsibilities.
It was further reported that she allegedly demanded a hefty fee of Rs 20 crores along with a share in the film’s profits and refused to deliver dialogues in Telugu.
At that time, Sandeep posted on X: “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.”
On the work front, Deepika is currently working on director Atlee’s next with Allu Arjun. The actor is set to play a warrior queen. Production house Sun Pictures announced her casting with behind-the-scenes visuals of the actor from the sets of the pan-Indian movie.
