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Deepika Padukone Steps Back From ₹500–₹600 Crore Chase, Prioritizes Authenticity and Work Norms

A Harper’s Bazaar India interview signals a pivot to empowering talent, eight-hour schedules, and selective choices after recent Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD sequel exits.

Overview

  • Padukone told Harper’s Bazaar India that ₹100–₹600 crore targets no longer motivate her, with storytelling and impact now guiding her choices.
  • She described authenticity as her only non‑negotiable and said she has declined large paycheques when projects did not feel true to her.
  • Her departures from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD sequel have been announced by the producers, with Spirit recasting Triptii Dimri.
  • Media reports link those exits to negotiations over equal pay and stipulated eight‑hour shifts, though the specifics are not uniformly confirmed by all sides.
  • She advocates eight‑hour workdays and healthier set practices and says her team will focus on enabling writers, directors, and new producers; she remains attached to King (2026) and an Atlee film with Allu Arjun (2027).