Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga has confirmed that Prabhas-starrer Spirit will receive an A certificate, indicating that the film is being positioned for an adult audience rather than families. Speaking at the trailer launch of Romanchakam, the director said the movie’s intense and violent content made an adult certification likely.
Vanga also spoke about the film’s release schedule and its proximity to SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi, which stars Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra. Spirit is scheduled to release on March 5, 2027, while Varanasi is slated to hit theatres on April 7, 2027, creating a gap of around 37 days between the two releases.
Asked whether this window would be sufficient given the scale and expected audience for both films, Vanga said he was not worried about the timing. He noted that there would be approximately 37 days between the releases and acknowledged that Varanasi is a bigger film than Spirit.
When the release clash was brought up again, Vanga jokingly suggested that the reporter might be hoping Spirit would move aside for Varanasi, which drew laughter at the event.
Spirit marks Vanga’s reunion with T-Series after their collaboration on Animal in 2023. He has written and directed the action drama, which is backed by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Krishan Kumar and Prabhakar Reddy Vanga. The film features Prabhas as a police officer.
Casting developments
The film has also generated considerable discussion over its casting. Earlier reports claimed that Deepika Padukone had left the project following disagreements over working-hour requirements. Triptii Dimri, who previously worked with Vanga in Animal, was subsequently reported to have joined the cast.
Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga later said remuneration and scheduling were among the reasons behind the casting change. He also claimed that Deepika had sought a 10 per cent share of the film’s profits.
According to the producer, the team felt that the financial arrangement would not work within the film’s budget and therefore began exploring alternative options. He added that other details surrounding the disagreement subsequently became public.
The controversy resurfaced after Deepika liked an Instagram post by journalist Janvi Manchanda that questioned the criticism surrounding her reported profit-sharing demand and compared it with similar arrangements involving male actors. Deepika had previously stated that she did not consider an eight-hour workday to be an unreasonable expectation.
Vanga also appeared to respond to the controversy in a post on X, referring to the importance of trust between a filmmaker and actor. He questioned whether the criticism represented feminism and used the hashtag “Dirty PR Games”.
Spirit is scheduled to release on March 5, 2027, and is being presented as an adult-oriented action drama.
