Following Deepika Padukone’s exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film Spirit, actress Triptii Dimri has been roped in to play the female lead alongside Prabhas, the filmmaker announced on Saturday.
“The female lead for my film is now official,” Vanga wrote alongside a poster carrying Triptii’s name on X.
Earlier, Deepika was set to play the female lead role. However, she was later removed from the cast due to disagreements over remuneration and alleged unprofessional behaviour, as per media reports.
A source close to the makers had told Bollywood Hungama, “Sandeep Reddy Vanga got the shock of his life when Deepika Padukone refused to shoot for more than six hours a day for Spirit. That’s not all—the actress, via her agency, also began to demand amendments to the contract. Their main contention was simple: if the shoot extended beyond 100 days, Deepika would need to be paid extra for every single day beyond the agreed schedule.”
Triptii shared Vanga’s post on Instagram and expressed her gratitude. “Still sinking in….So grateful to be trusted with this journey. Thank you @sandeepreddy.vanga ..honoured to be a part of your vision,” she wrote.
Fans expressed their excitement over Triptii joining the cast alongside Prabhas. “From Laila’s tears to Bulbbul’s fire, and now Spirit with @actorprabhas & @sandeepreddy.vanga —watching your journey unfold has been pure magic. The way you become every character, yet stay so distinctly YOU… this is just the beginning. Animal was the spark, but Spirit will be the storm. So proud,” one of them wrote.
However, some fans also pointed out Deepika’s exit. “Replacement of Deepika can't be Triptii,” a fan commented. “Not sure why did he replaced Deepika?” another X user tweeted.
Spirit marks Prabhas and Triptii’s first collaboration. It is Triptii’s second collaboration with Vanga, producer Bhushan Kumar, and Pranay Reddy Vanga, after Animal.
Produced by T-Series and Bhadrakali Pictures, Spirit will reportedly feature Prabhas in the role of a fierce police officer. During the promotions for his 2023 film Animal, Vanga had revealed that the protagonist in Spirit comes from a middle-class background, as compared to Animal and Arjun Reddy, where the male leads belonged to wealthy families, as per IMDb.
Spirit is currently in its pre-production stage and will go down on floors this year.
