Deepika Padukone to continue filming Allu Arjun’s Raaka, Shah Rukh Khan’s King through 2nd pregnancy

“Deepika has already shot some portions of the Allu Arjun film. She’s been shooting sporadically since October last year,” says an industry source. “She’ll now continue to shoot the remaining scenes through her pregnancy. Yes, there are some intense action scenes involved too, but all safety and precautionary measurements are in place. She’s not the first actor to do action while pregnant. Alia Bhatt also did it in Heart of Stone,” adds the source.

King

Shah Rukh Khan in and as King.

Deepika announced her casting in Siddharth Anand’s action thriller King, starring Shah Rukh Khan, a couple of days after her exit from Nag Ashwin’s dystopian sci-fi thriller Kalki 2898 AD 2. She shared a picture of Shah Rukh holding her hands on the film set, with her thanking her first-ever co-star for always placing people above the profession.

“Deepika has wrapped most of King. While her role is longer than what it was in Jawan — it’s not an extended guest appearance — she’s also not in every scene. The story mostly revolves around the equation between the characters of Shah Rukh and Suhana Khan,” says the source, adding that she’s likely to finish the patchwork and dubbing in the coming months leading up to the release of King this Christmas on December 25.

Spirit

Prabhas and Triptii Dimri in Spirit.

Deepika had given her nod to star opposite Prabhas in Spirit during her first pregnancy. However, her priorities shifted after becoming a mother. While ironing out the details with the producers, Vanga and Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series, she requested for an eight-hour work shift along with other favourable stipulations. She then exited the project after the makers refused to meet her demands.

After replacing her with Triptii Dimri in Spirit, Vanga even launched an offensive against Deepika on social media, blaming her for “dirty PR games” and pulling down a “younger actor” with her campaign. Deepika, however, later pointed out in an interview to Brut that male stars have been demanding eight-hour work shifts for years.

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Kalki 2898 AD 2

Deepika Padukone in Kalki 2898 AD.

Deepika was, by default, a part of the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD, given she was expected to reprise her role of Sumathi in part 2. However, she also had a similar disagreement with the makers, who announced her exit from the film rather unceremoniously. She defended her actions later by claiming that she’s not obligated to work with anyone not willing to honour her needs.