Deepika Padukone, who played a leading role in Prabhas-starrer Kalki 2898 AD, had officially parted ways from the sequel earlier this year. The announcement, made by production banner Vyjayanthi Movies, was met with a heated discourse on social media among Deepika's and Prabhas' fans.
On Tuesday, a few videos began circulating online, showing that Deepika Padukone’s name was removed from the end credits’ list of the film on both Netflix and Prime Video.
Deepika Padukone fans reacted to the clips strongly, criticising the Kalki makers for their ‘petty’ move. However, as of on Wednesday afternoon, Deepika Padukone’s name was found intact in both its Hindi and Telugu versions, on Netflix and Prime Video, respectively.
Meanwhile, the video recording clips continue to circulate online, with Deepika’s name missing from the credits. Many film-goers claim that Kalki 2898 AD makers revoked their decision, and added Deepika Padukone’s name back to the credits, after observing the social media backlash.
Vyjayanthi Movies are yet to respond to the controversy, or issue a clarification on the alleged claims.
In Kalki 2898 AD, Deepika played the character of Sumathi, which holds an integral space in the narrative. Directed by Nag Ashwin, the sci-fi actioner also starred Amitabh Bachchan in a prominent role and Kamal Haasan in an extended appearance, among others.
The news of Deepika Padukone not being part of Kalki sequel came months after the Jawan actor walked out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit, which too starred Prabhas in the lead. The makers later announced that Triptii Dimri, who played a major role in Vanga’s previous film Animal, was signed on for the part. Reportedly, Deepika chose to walk out of the project after her terms for limited working hours were not agreed upon by the producers.
The discourse came back into limelight after Rashmika Mandanna in a recent interview stated that she doesn’t endorse the culture of long working hours, indirectly supporting Deeepika Padukone’s stance on the subject.
