Deepika Padukone on demanding 8-hour work shift amid Spirit, Kalki 2898 AD exit: ‘I fight my battles silently'

Deepika Padukone has broken her silence amid reports of leaving Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD. Sources suggest that Deepika opted out of Spirit due to creative and professional differences, including a reported eight-hour work schedule and discussions over profit-sharing terms. Her decision was also influenced by her wish to focus on motherhood following the birth of her daughter in 2024.

Vyjayanthi Movies, the studio behind Kalki 2898 AD, confirmed last month that Deepika would not be part of the sequel. The banner stated that the second installment required “a higher level of commitment,” which the actress was unable to accommodate at this stage.

Addressing the situation in an interview with CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan, Deepika said, “I have done this at many levels; this is not new to me. I think, even as far as pay is concerned, I have had to deal with whatever comes with it. I don’t even know what to call it, but 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. But yes, to fight my battles silently and in a dignified way is the way I know.”

Since welcoming her daughter Dua with husband Ranveer Singh in September 2024, Deepika has stepped back from a few projects but continues to maintain a visible presence in Bollywood. She was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, sharing the screen with Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff.

Looking ahead, Deepika will reunite with Shah Rukh Khan for King, directed by Sujoy Ghosh and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment. Announcing the project, she shared a photograph of her hand clasped with SRK’s and wrote, “The very first lesson he taught me almost 18 years ago while filming Om Shanti Om was that the experience of making a movie, and the people you make it with, matter far more than its success… and that’s probably why we’re back making our sixth movie together.”

This marks the sixth collaboration between Deepika and Shah Rukh Khan, following hits like Chennai Express, Pathaan, and Happy New Year.