It was in the year 2020 when the first news about Deepika Padukone collaborating with Pan India star Prabhas came out in the open. Fans went crazy and were ecstatic at the same time knowing that the two powerful actors will be sharing screen space for the first time for Nag Ashwin's movie.
However, there was one piece of news back then that upset many Prabhas fans. It was when Variety referred to the film as 'Prabhas21' in one of their social media posts. And it got the attention of Deepika Padukone, who decided to issue a clarification.
Deepika Padukone then shared a clarification about this post on Twitter by Variety and she wrote that the tentative title of the movie wasn't 'Prabhas21'; rather, it was Prabhas' 21st film.
She wrote back then: "Thank you for reporting. However, a) the film is not titled #Prabhas21. It only happens to be Prabhas's 21st film. b) It is a trilingual film: Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. Kindly make note. Thank you..."
Many of Prabhas' die-hard fans were upset with Deepika's tweet and argued that the Baahubali actor was the main face and hence the title.
One Internet user wrote, "Ma'am... I am a big fan... With all due respect... #Prabhas21 is a Telugu film first, then Tamil and Hindi... Prabhas sir belongs to our industry... Baahubali came from TFI and so does #Prabhas21... Please don't make it look like they are from Bollywood... #respecttelugufilmindustry."
Another said, "Telugu, Tamil, Hindi... It's the right order, and it's #Prabhas21 only, okay."
Yet another wrote, "Hey @deepikapadukone, kindly make a note... The original version comes from Telugu, and Prabhas is the prime face of the film. It's #Prabhas21 @nagashwin7."
Nag Ashwin's helmed movie was tentatively titled Project K at that time and it was later renamed to Kalki 2898 AD. And the update was shared by the Vyjayanthi Movies handle itself.
Sharing a teaser, the makers had written, "Project K is now Kalki 2898 AD. Here's a small glimpse into our world."
Kalki 2898 AD was directed by Nag Ashwin and it was released in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.
It saw the coming together of industry stalwarts like Deepika Padukone, Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan for the magnum opus. Kalki 2898 AD, which was released on June 27, 2024, had grossed an estimated Rs 1,042–1,100 crore globally. It also set multiple box office records for an Indian and Telugu film and became the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 and also the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film.
The movie's sequel, which was likely to reprise the old cast, shared an update on Thursday (September 18) that Deepika Padukone has decided to quit the movie and that she will not be a part of Kalki 2.
"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 Vyjayanthi Movies post read.
Prior to this, Deepika Padukone had also walked out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's other Prabhas starrer, Spirit. And the director himself had called the actress 'unprofessional' for making undue demands and also including working an 8-hour shift.
Now there are reports that something similar happened with the producers Vyjayanthi Movies, which are backing Kalki.
According to a report in NDTV, a source said, "Deepika Padukone wanted a 25 percent increase in her acting fee compared to what she earned for the first part of the film. Additionally, she insisted on limiting her daily shooting schedule to a 7-hour shift. The producers offered her the convenience of a luxury vanity for rest periods in exchange for longer working hours, but she declined. She wanted 5-star stays for her 25-person crew. There were just too many demands. This raised concerns among producers who questioned why they should bear additional costs beyond the actor's fees."
Deepika has not made any comments on the Kalki controversy or what happened in the past during her exit from Spirit.
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