Deepika Padukone Likes Post Defending Her ‘Spirit’ Exit And 10% Profit Share

The Spirit controversy has taken another turn after Deepika Padukone seemingly reacted to the latest allegations surrounding her exit from the Prabhas starrer. The actress has liked an Instagram post defending her reported 10 percent profit share demand and questioning the scrutiny faced by women actors when they negotiate similar deals.

The development comes a day after producer Pranay Reddy Vanga, brother of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, revealed his version of events surrounding Deepika’s departure from Spirit. In an interview with NTV Telugu, Pranay claimed that remuneration, shooting timings and profit sharing were among the issues that created differences during negotiations.

According to Pranay, Deepika allegedly demanded 10 percent of Spirit’s profits in addition to her remuneration. He said the disagreement was not simply about an additional ₹5 crore to ₹6 crore in fees and claimed that the financial demands eventually became difficult for the makers to accommodate within the film’s economics.

Pranay also claimed that discussions with Deepika had continued for around one and a half years. He said Sandeep had initially been interested in casting her because he admired her work, but the negotiations eventually reached a point where the director decided to explore other options.

The producer further alleged that Deepika’s team leaked information about the film after the makers started considering other actresses. He suggested that the alleged leaks added to the makers’ dissatisfaction. These remain claims from the Spirit team and have not been independently established.

The dispute over working hours has also remained an important part of the controversy. Earlier reports said Deepika wanted an eight hour shooting schedule, a demand she had defended publicly by arguing that such working hours were not unreasonable and that male actors also follow similar schedules.

Now, Deepika appears to have indirectly responded to the latest claims. The actress liked an Instagram carousel shared by journalist Janvi Manchanda, which questioned the criticism surrounding her alleged 10 percent profit share. The post argued that male actors have negotiated profit participation for years and asked why a woman making a similar demand becomes major news.

One of the arguments in the post focused on the broader issue of gender bias in the film industry, questioning whether women actors face greater scrutiny when negotiating remuneration, profit sharing or working conditions. Deepika’s like on the post has been interpreted as a sign that she supports the sentiment, although she has not directly issued a statement confirming or denying Pranay’s allegations.

Deepika was originally expected to star opposite Prabhas in Spirit but eventually exited the project in 2025. Triptii Dimri was subsequently brought in as the female lead. The film, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, continues to attract considerable attention, particularly following the success of the filmmaker’s previous project Animal.