New Delhi: Months after reports emerged that Deepika Padukone has exited the sequel of Kalki 2898 AD, production banner Vyjayanthi Movies on Thursday officially announced that they have parted ways with the Bollywood star as they were "unable to find a partnership" for a film that "deserves that commitment and much more".
Deepika Padukone has been the centre of attention this year. In May, there was controversy around her exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit over her eight-hour shift demand and creative differences with the filmmaker, among other reasons according to reports.
In June, an unconfirmed report surfaced that Deepika Padukone was facing issues with her Kalki 2898 AD co-star Prabhas on the sets of the film's second part.
At the time, a source told NDTV that the report was "absolutely false".
Now, two months later, production banner Vyjayanthi Movies has announced that Deepika Padukone is no longer part of Kalki 2898 AD's sequel.
The post read, "This is to officially announce that @deepikapadukone will not be a part of the upcoming sequel of #Kalki2898AD. After careful consideration, we have decided to part ways. Despite the long journey of making the first film, we were unable to find a partnership".
"And a film like @Kalki2898AD deserves that commitment and much more. We wish her the best with her future projects," the makers further said in the statement.
Back in December, new parents Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh held a meet-and-greet event in Mumbai to introduce the paparazzi to their daughter, Dua.
At the event, a media professional asked the actress about the progress of Kalki 2, to which Deepika Padukone replied that her current priority was Dua and that she was in no rush to start working anytime soon.
She also mentioned that she doesn't want to leave her daughter alone while she is working.
"I will raise my daughter myself, just the way my mum raised me," Deepika Padukone added.
This led to speculation that the shoot for Kalki 2, which was supposed to begin in the summer of 2025, would be delayed.
Deepika Padukone walked out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's much-anticipated film Spirit. She was labelled "unprofessional" for making demands, including working in an 8-hour shift with a newborn at home. According to reports, she also charged a massive fee of Rs 20 crore, along with a profit-sharing settlement, and refused to deliver dialogues in Telugu.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga had taken a jibe at Deepika Padukone and called her out for her "dirty PR games". Animal star Triptii Dimri later stepped in to play the lead role opposite Prabhas.
The makers of Kalki 2898 AD shared an official post on X today, confirming Deepika Padukone's exit from the upcoming sequel. As a film like Kalki 2898 AD deserves "that commitment and much more", they decided to part ways with the actor after careful consideration.
