Deepika Padukone Vs Sandeep Reddy Vanga nasty fall out over Prabhas' Spirit explained: Actress quits project, director cries foul and 'dirty PR games'

Dubai: A war of words and wills, perhaps indirect, has erupted between Bollywood A-lister actress and new mum Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga of misogynistic blockbusters 'Animal' fame.

Earlier this week, reports emerged that Padukone had allegedly walked out of his upcoming film Spirit, starring Prabhas. What began as creative differences has now snowballed into what Vanga describes as "dirty PR games," with the director hinting at a breach of trust. He shared a cryptic social media post hinting that the story of his upcoming film was leaked by the actress.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga, best known for polarising blockbusters like Kabir Singh and Animal with hyper-masculine heroes, had once approached Deepika for the lead role in his upcoming film Spirit, which stars Prabhas. According to Bollywood media reports, including coverage by Hindustan Times and Pink Villa, Vanga had narrated the story and outlined the character to Deepika as part of the casting process—a routine step in pre-production.

However, talks reportedly broke down over alleged differences related to pay and creative input. Reports claimed that Deepika had reservations about certain intimate scenes in the script and had proposed changes. Following this, Vanga moved forward with actress Triptii Dimri in the lead role.

Soon after Dimri's casting was announced, some media outlets began publishing details about Spirit, including claims that the film contained bold or A-rated content. These articles also stated that Deepika had objected to some of those scenes during her meetings with the director.

This sequence of events led Vanga to suspect a leak. On May 26, 2025, he posted on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his disappointment and accusing an unnamed actor of violating an unspoken trust.

“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?” he wrote. “You didn’t get it. You won’t get it. You will never get it. Aisa karo… Agli baar poori kahani bolna… kyunki mujhe jara bhi farak nahi padta. #dirtyPRgames”

The post didn’t include any names, but the references to “putting down a younger actor” and the discussion around leaks have been widely interpreted as a response to Deepika’s past involvement in the project.

Vanga concluded his post with the Hindi proverb: “Khundak mein billi khamba noche”, which loosely translates to “A frustrated cat scratches the pillar.” The phrase suggests that someone, out of frustration, lashes out aimlessly—possibly implying that the unnamed actor was trying to undermine others out of spite.

This is not the first time Bollywood has witnessed behind-the-scenes creative differences turning public. What sets this incident apart is the way Vanga aired his grievances—without naming names but still generating widespread buzz and online debate.

Neither Deepika nor her representatives have responded publicly to Vanga’s post at the time of writing.