The controversy surrounding Deepika Padukone’s exit from Spirit has resurfaced, with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s brother Pranay Reddy Vanga making fresh claims about the disagreement. While the actress’ reported demand for an eight-hour workday had earlier dominated the debate, Pranay has now claimed that remuneration and profit-sharing were also key points of contention.In a recent interview with NTV, Pranay Reddy Vanga addressed the circumstances surrounding Deepika Padukone’s exit from the Prabhas-led film. According to him, the decision to move on from the actress came after discussions over her remuneration, working hours and other aspects of the project.Explaining the reasons behind the development, Pranay said, “The reason is the same as what was already mentioned. One was remuneration, the second was timing. Apart from that, there are some other reasons too.”He also maintained that the decision was ultimately made by Sandeep. According to Pranay, the filmmaker had been in discussions with Deepika for around a year and a half and was interested in casting her in Spirit. He suggested that her successful run at the box office gave her greater leverage during negotiations.ALSO READ: Why Operation Safed Sagar pays tribute to late comedian Raju Srivastava after every episode‘Deepika asked for 10% of Spirit profits’Pranay claimed that the negotiations escalated when Deepika sought a percentage of the film’s profits rather than simply a higher fee.He said, “She demanded 10 percent from the film’s profit. Soon after, everything went overboard. See, she can ask for anything. If we are willing to give, we can give. But the economics (budget) should also work out for us. We thought that it was not working. This is why we thought of other options. Once we started looking for other options, they started leaking everything.”Story continues below this adPranay further said that the team had spent more than a year discussing the film’s story and Deepika’s character with her. He said that details from those conversations later surfaced publicly, which he said left the team unhappy.“We discussed the story and character with her. Things discussed internally should not be revealed but she leaked all of them. That is why we are disturbed,” he said.He also clarified that, according to his account, the dispute was not simply over an additional Rs 5–6 crore in remuneration.All about Spirit controversyAfter Deepika’s exit, Triptii Dimri was announced as her replacement. The controversy grew further when a report claimed that the Prabhas-starrer would feature an ‘A-Rated Action’ twist. Sandeep subsequently took to X, expressing his anger over what he described as a leak of his film’s plot.Story continues below this ad“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…”Without naming anyone, he added, “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.”He ended the post with, “Aisa karo…. Agli baar poori kahani bolna… kyunki mujhe jarra bhi farak nahi padtha (Next time, tell them the complete story because I don’t really care.)” He also quoted the saying, “Khundak mein billi khamba noche.” and used the hashtag “Dirty PR Games”.Deepika Padukone on her eight-hour workday demandDeepika has previously addressed the wider controversy without directly responding to every allegation surrounding her exit from projects.Story continues below this adSpeaking to CNBC-TV18 in 2025, she said, “I am someone who has always fought my battles silently, and for some strange reason, sometimes they become public—which is not the way I know and not the way I’ve been brought up. To fight my battles silently and in a dignified way is the way I know.”In a separate conversation with Brut India, Deepika defended her reported demand for an eight-hour workday, arguing that it was not unreasonable.“I don’t think what I am asking for is ridiculously unfair and I think only someone who has worked in the system enough will know the conditions that we work in. And I am saying this, if I may say so myself, a top star, so you can only imagine what the working conditions must be like for everyone else, for the crew, for example,” she said.Deepika also pointed out that male actors have followed similar schedules for years.Story continues below this ad“I am not the first one who has asked for something like this. In fact, there are a lot of actors, male actors, who have been working on a 8-hour shift for years and it’s never made headlines,” she said.Spirit, starring Prabhas and Triptii Dimri, is scheduled to release in March 2027.