‘Never afraid to ruffle feathers’: Deepika Padukone takes a dig at Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Kalki makers after featuring in IMDb’s list with Shah Rukh Khan

She said, “When I began my journey, I was often told how a woman must or is expected to navigate her career in order to be successful. However, from the very beginning, I was never afraid to ask questions, ruffle feathers, walk a more difficult path and challenge the status quo in order to reshape the mould we have all been expected to fit into.”

Deepika also credited her fans and family for their constant support that has enabled her to take tough decisions. “The faith my family, fans and collaborators have had in me, have also empowered me to make the choices and decisions that I have, hopefully forever altering the path those after me will tread. IMDb’s Report on 25 Years of Indian Cinema further validates and strengthens my belief that honesty, authenticity and resilience matter, and that by being true to your core beliefs with consistency, change is possible,” she said.

Deepika fallout with Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Kalki 2898 AD makers

After Deepika’s exit from Spirit, it was announced that Triptii Dimri will replace her in the project. In an earlier tweet, Vanga had accused Deepika of playing a “dirty PR game” in his post on social media after she exited the film when her demands weren’t met, which included a fixed 8-hour shift. Recently, the makers of Kalki 2898 AD declared that they were parting ways with Deepika as their project “deserves that commitment and much more.”

Deepika, on the other hand, has chosen not to directly address the controversies. However, a few days after the news of her fallout with the Kalki makers came out, Deepika shared a photo on Instagram with Shah Rukh Khan, which seemed to be a message to the filmmakers. The photo showed her holding SRK’s hand and the caption read, “The very first lesson he taught me almost 18 years ago while filming Om Shanti Om was that the experience of making a movie, and the people you make it with, matter far more than its success. I couldn’t agree more and have applied that learning to every decision I’ve made since. And that’s probably why we’re back making our 6th movie together?”

Deepika will next be seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s The King, which also stars his daughter Suhana Khan.