In an industry constantly grappling with issues of gender parity, professionalism, and respect for boundaries, the latest buzz surrounding Deepika Padukone’s exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit raises more questions than it answers.

According to reports, the celebrated actress is no longer attached to the film, allegedly due to her "demands": an 8-hour shoot limit (which reportedly amounted to around 6 hours of actual filming), a refusal to deliver dialogues in Telugu, and a remuneration package involving both a high upfront fee and a profit share. These terms, we’re told, shocked the director and producers so much that they chose to part ways.

But step back from the headlines and ask this — are these really outrageous demands for an actress of Deepika’s stature? Or are we witnessing another instance of coded chauvinism in an industry that struggles to accommodate assertive, powerful women?

Deepika Padukone is not just a Bollywood superstar. She is a global icon with a proven box office track record, international recognition, and the kind of brand value few can rival. The idea that she should accept a role without fair compensation or that she must conform to a particular working style, especially when such expectations are rarely applied to male superstars, reveals a troubling double standard.

The 8-hour workday is not a diva's whim. It's a basic labor standard in many professional industries. The refusal to speak Telugu? Perhaps Her preference not to deliver Telugu dialogues could be because notably, when Deepika spoke Telugu in the Kalki 2898 AD trailer, there was online backlash, leading the makers to dub over her voice with another artist. This could have influenced her stance on speaking Telugu in Spirit . And the profit-sharing model? It's an industry norm for top-billed male actors. Why then is it "shocking" when Deepika asks the same?

Sandeep Reddy Vanga, whose previous works like Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh have been heavily criticized for their portrayal of male dominance and toxic masculinity, is no stranger to controversy. If reports are true, this decision fits into a pattern where control, not collaboration, seems to drive the creative process.

While producers and directors have every right to make casting decisions based on fit, budget, and vision, the framing of Deepika’s professional boundaries as unreasonable feels loaded with bias. If a male superstar had demanded shorter hours and profit participation, would he be branded “difficult” — or would he be lauded as savvy and self-aware?

At a time when the film industry is claiming to evolve, this incident serves as a reminder of how much further it still has to go, especially when it comes to accepting female power, on and off screen.