New mom Deepika Padukone is setting records even while on a break. The actress has reportedly agreed to team up with Prabhas in Sandeep Vanga Reddy's Spirit, and the deal comes with a headline-grabbing fee of Rs 20 crore—the biggest single pay-cheque any Indian actress has ever secured for one film.
This is the second time the Ram Leela actress has touched the Rs 20-crore figure; she was paid the same for Kalki 2898 AD, again co-starring Prabhas. With this, Deepika leaves other top earners such as Alia Bhatt (Rs 15 crore) and Nayanthara (Rs 10–12 crore) well behind. Trade analysts note that only Priyanka Chopra's rumoured Rs 30 crore deal for S. S. Rajamouli's upcoming film ranks higher on the unofficial chart, making Deepika the clear No. 1 among Bollywood's current stars.
According to Bollywood Hungama, the Spirit team first approached Deepika in 2024, but she declined because the shoot clashed with her pregnancy. A revised schedule—now eyeing an early-2026 release—cleared the way. The film marks her first full-length role since the birth of her daughter Dua last November. Cameras are expected to roll this August, with a global release planned across five languages.
What we know so far about the plot
According to Vanga, the film will blend the raw emotional punch of Arjun Reddy with the ferocious violence of Animal; fan can expect plenty of hand-to-hand fights, moral grey zones, and a hero who'll break rules to claim victory. Reports say the film is being made on a whopping Ra 300 crore budget. Early trade write-ups state that Spirit is a high-octane cop drama, with Prabhas playing his first-ever police officer—a tough, middle-class inspector who "lives for the uniform" yet melts around his wife and young child. During a failed raid he is publicly disgraced and suspended, pushing him into a one-man mission to destroy an international crime syndicate that set him up.
The story leads from Hyderabad's docks to Mexico's cartel badlands—locations the team has already scouted for high-octane chases and desert gun battles. Deepika Padukone's character is still under wraps, but buzz suggests she partners with the hero, either as an investigative journalist or a special prosecutor, creating both friction and romance as the case widens.
