Indians love a superstar. Look at the kind of fandom superstars like Rajnikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Mohanlal, and other male superstars enjoy. Fans worship the ground they walk on and defend them, even against logical critique, with fanatical zeal. So, why don’t women enjoy this kind of unshakeable love from their fans? The kind that unleashes troll after troll against any naysayers. Is it because as much as we love superstars, we love bringing a woman down even more? There’s a lot to unpack in the Deepika Padukone vs Sandeep Reddy Vanga controversy, but let’s start with the basics.

What happened…as far as we know

Deepika Padukone was all set to star in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film Spirit opposite Prabhas. Deepika, who gave birth to her daughter Dua in September 2024, reportedly set a few demands before joining the team of Spirit. According to reports, none of which are confirmed by the actor herself, she asked for an 8-hour work day, 20 crore as her fee, a share in the profits, and to wrap shooting in 100 days. It was also reported that Deepika Padukone refused to deliver dialogues in Telugu and wanted her Telugu lines dubbed. When these demands were rejected, Deepika Padukone reportedly left the film.

When news of Deepika’s exit from Spirit broke, the online reaction from Vanga fanboys was, well, predictable.

Deepika vs Vanga: The “feminism” of it all

Deepika Padukone’s decision to feature in a project by the man who made Kabir Singh/Arjun Reddy (and then defended the protagonist slapping his partner) and Animal (a misogynist’s wet dream) is questionable to say the least.

On social media, people pointed out that the actor should not have considered working with Vanga in the first place.

“Dirty PR games”

Instead of ending the feud professionally, Sandeep Reddy Vanga chose to react on Twitter in a thinly veiled attack, fanning the emotions of his target audience. He even chose to use the provocative and completely unnecessary keyword ‘Feminism’ to really drive his point home.

Support for Deepika Padukone

The support for Deepika Padukone from her peers has been guarded and offered, at least publicly, only when asked. In a recent promotional event for Kajol’s upcoming film Maa, Ajay Devgn said, “It’s not that it is not going down well with people. A lot of people understand. Most of the honest filmmakers would not have a problem with it. Also, other than new moms working for eight hours, most people have started working for eight hours. I think it’s person to person, and most of the industry understands.”

Deepika Padukone’s peers in the industry have not volunteered support for her in this controversy. Perhaps because Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s films make hundreds of crores in a morally bankrupt society and no one wants to lose the opportunity to become the next 1,000-crore “superstar”. Regardless of the moral cost of stardom.

On June 7, 2025, Sun Pictures announced Deepika Padukone as the lead in Atlee’s next film titled AA22xA6. Deepika had earlier worked with Atlee in Jawan but this is the first time she will star in a film with Allu Arjun.

 

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So, who do you support in the Deepika Padukone vs Sandeep Reddy Vanga controversy? Is Deepika Padukone right in asking for what she thinks she deserves? Is Sandeep Reddy Vanga right in calling Deepika Padukone out in public while she remains silent?

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