Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga challenges critics to 'kill' Prabhas-Triptii's Spirit

Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming film Spirit, featuring actors Prabhas and Triptii Dimri, has come under fresh controversy ahead of its release, with producer Pranay Reddy Vanga publicly challenging critics to target the film when it reaches theatres. Pranay, who is Sandeep’s brother, said critics could try to ‘kill’ Spirit with their reviews once the film is out.His remarks came while he was speaking about his recently released production Romanchakam (2026), which opened in theatres on September 3 and drew mixed reviews. Referring to the criticism, Pranay questioned how easily films are reviewed and spoke about the difficulties involved in making one.“If you get into production, you understand how hard the director works to execute what’s written and the kind of problems that arise during production,” he said, as quoted by The Indian Express.He then said critics should try to ‘kill the spirit’ of the team’s upcoming film if they could. “They plucked feathers from a chicken egg. If they are really capable of doing something, let’s see when Spirit releases. We will see when it releases,” Pranay added. Spirit marks the first collaboration between Prabhas and Sandeep Reddy Vanga. The film is expected to be an action drama, with Prabhas reportedly playing a powerful police officer. Deepika Padukone was initially set to star opposite Prabhas, but Triptii Dimri was later brought into the project. Actors Vivek Oberoi and Prakash Raj also play crucial roles in the film.A few weeks ago, at the trailer launch of Romanchakam, Sandeep Reddy Vanga had said that the violent and intense content in Spirit makes an adult rating expected. Spirit has continuously generated buzz around its lead lineup. Earlier speculation suggested Deepika exited the venture over work-hour constraints, paving the way for Sandeep's Animal breakout, Triptii, to step into the role.Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga later said remuneration and timing were among the reasons for the change, while also claiming that Deepika had sought a 10 per cent share of the film's profits.He said, "The reason is the same as what was already mentioned. One was remuneration, the second was timing. Apart from that, there are some other reasons too. Soon after, everything went overboard.""See, she can ask for anything. If we are willing to give, we can give. But the economics (budget) should also work out for us. We thought that it was not working. This is why we thought of other options. Once we started looking for other options, they started leaking everything," Pranay added.The issue returned to focus after Deepika liked an Instagram post by journalist Janvi Manchanda that questioned the criticism around her reported profit-share demand and compared it with similar arrangements negotiated by male actors. Deepika had earlier said that she did not consider an eight-hour workday unreasonable.Spirit is set for a theatrical release on March 5, 2027.- EndsPublished By: Anurag BohraPublished On: Sep 12, 2026 11:20 IST