Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit, which marks the director’s return to Telugu cinema, has been in the news for a while. The film, which stars Prabhas in the lead role, saw a major controversy when actor Deepika Padukone was replaced by actor Triptii Dimri recently. The matter has sparked a heated debate, with some criticizing Deepika for allegedly leaking the film’s plot and putting down Triptii, while others have criticised Sandeep and team Spirit for reportedly labelling Deepika’s demands as “unprofessional”.

A Pinkvilla report detailed the plot of the film, noting that Prabhas plays a cop in the thriller. The report also mentions certain “bold scenes” between the lead pair. Sandeep took to X to imply that the leak had come from Deepika, writing: “When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA 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? (sic).”

Sandeep Reddy Vanga and the production house T-Series recently announced casting Triptii Dimri as the female lead. Sandeep wrote on X: “The female lead for my film is now official (sic).”

Triptii wrote on Instagram: “Still sinking in…. So grateful to be trusted with this journey. Thank you @sandeepreddy.vanga ..honoured to be a part of your vision (sic).”

According to a Bollywood Hungama report, Deepika “refused to shoot for more than 6 hours a day” for Spirit and requested contract amendments, including extra pay for shoot beyond 100 days. Despite reports of her being “unprofessional,” sources close to the actor claimed that her demands were reasonable, given her stardom and new motherhood. The source added that Deepika was trying to balance time for her daughter, Dua, while obliging her work commitments.

Social media users started speculating that Sandeep’s tweet was aimed at Deepika. A user even described the controversy as, “Fake Feminism vs Toxic Misogynist”. Meanwhile, some called out Deepika. One wrote: “Finally, Deepika’s ugly pr game has met its match in Vanga. She leaked the bold scenes bit to get Tripti hate and save herself from criticism for leaving but Vanga won’t have it! (sic).” 

Many were concerned about Triptii. A fan wrote, “Does anyone else feel like Tripti is being slut shamed a LOT? It could be any article or comment about her, and somehow people would connect it to her being a ‘bold’ ‘A-rated’ actress (sic).”