Deepika’s ‘Kalki’ Exit: Echoes of ‘Spirit’ and ‘Race 2’?

As A-listers’ demands keep increasing, film producers seem to be taking a tough stance.

Reports say Deepika Padukone’s exit from the Kalki franchise was not solely due to her push for easier working hours post motherhood — the star demanded a lot more, which the producers were not ready to concede. And other producers are backing him.

An insider says, “It is easy to play the mother card and get sympathy from fans and make the producers look like slave-drivers. But the producer is not always in the wrong. In this case, Deepika’s demands went far beyond her contention that she couldn’t shoot more than seven hours per day due to the baby. Even this demand was unreasonable for a project where she was to be seen in every frame. But in addition, she wanted almost 35 percent more remuneration for the sequel than what she got for the first. No actor increases fees for a sequel.”

The star apparently also wanted the Kalki producers to pay for 5-star accommodation for her entire team.

Reportedly, taking all this into consideration, the producers decided to say goodbye to their leading lady.

A top-notch filmmaker who has worked with Deepika in the past feels the Kalki producers are within their rights to replace their heroine. “When I was working with Deepika, she was not a mother, but she made such demands. It is up to the producer or director to decide how much of a star’s demands are to be met. Motherly duties can easily be managed alongside one’s career,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile

Taking to Instagram, director Nag Ashwin re-shared a fan video of Krishna’s entry scene from Kalki 2898 AD, captioned: “You can’t change what happened, but you can choose what happens next.” The cryptic post instantly went viral, with fans debating if it was a subtle response to the exit of Deepika Padukone from the project.

Back in 2012, Deepika made a sudden exit from Race 2 after shooting for just six days. Producer Ramesh Taurani lashed out at Deepika for her “unprofessional behaviour” and for being the reason behind Race 2’s constant delay.