Official announcement: New heroine replaces Deepika in Prabhas's 'Spirit', actress expresses gratitude

After the huge success of the film Animal, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga is now working on his new movie Spirit, with Prabhas playing the lead role. Recently, some reports surfaced about changes in the film’s cast. It was reported that actress Deepika Padukone, who was initially cast as the female lead, has been dropped from the project. According to sources, the director himself decided to remove Deepika from the project, citing that her demands could not be accommodated. Reports also mentioned that the team was looking for a new lead actress.

Now, confirming those reports, actress Triptii Dimri has officially joined the cast of Spirit. Triptii had previously played an important character in Sandeep Reddy’s Animal. She announced her involvement in Spirit through an Instagram post and also expressed her gratitude to the director.

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A post shared by Triptii Dimri (@tripti_dimri)

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Deepika Padukone opted out of Spirit due to her commitment to another major project — a film featuring Allu Arjun and directed by Atlee, tentatively titled AA22 x A6. Deepika reportedly stepped away from Spirit willingly to be part of what is being called one of India’s biggest event films.

Spirit was expected to mark Deepika's return to cinema following her maternity break. At the time she committed to Spirit, the Atlee film was not yet on the table. It was rumoured that Deepika was offered Rs 20 crore for her role in Spirit. However, reports suggest that Sandeep Reddy Vanga was unwilling to accept her conditions, which allegedly included a six-hour workday and a share in the film's profits. Deepika is now one of the five lead actresses in the Atlee film. The shooting for Spirit is expected to begin in October.