The wait is finally over for the much-anticipated poster of Prabhas and Tripti Dimri's Spirit, which was unveiled on the occasion of the New Year 2026. Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared the first-look glimpse of his upcoming film just as the clock struck midnight.
The poster shows an injured and bruised Prabhas facing the camera with his back turned, his shoulders and hands wrapped in bandages. He holds a bottle of alcohol in one hand while resting the other on his waist. Tripti Dimri, meanwhile, is seen in a grey-hued saree, lighting a cigarette for him.
'Looks Like Ranbir Kapoor's Animal': Spirit first look fails to impress
Sharing the poster, Prabhas wrote, "Here's the first poster of #Spirit." Unveiling it, Sandeep Reddy Vanga added, "INDIAN CINEMA... witness your AJANUBAHUDU / AJANUBAHU Happy New Year 2026."
However, netizens were not impressed and called out the makers for what they described as a repetitive, gory portrayal of alpha-male violence and vengeance, drawing comparisons with Kabir Singh, Animal, Dhurandhar, and now Spirit.
Many social media users poked fun at the similarity, joking and questioning whether it was a classic "cut-and-copy" job.
After watching the first poster, a user asked the director, "I thought it was Ranbir Kapoor from Animal. I expected better from you, Vanga."
"Mujhe laga animal park hain (I thought it is Animal Park)," one shared, with another writing, "Prabhas kam Ranbir Kapoor Jyada lag raha hai (Prabhas looks more like Ranbir Kapoor)."
One tweeted, "Same body and personality as Ranbir Kapoor from Animal, same alcohol and cigar. I want you to write a script where you do something different; your 3 movies are all the same..."
"At a glance I thought it was Ranbir Kapoor , but once you zoom in a bit, it's #Prabhas," one shared. One posted, "Am I seeing #Animal Ranbir's hairstyle, body, body posture, and attitude all in #SpiritFirstLook Prabhas's image!!???"
Another called the movie, "The first look of Prabhas from Spirit looks like Ranbir Kapoor's look from Animal..."
"I feel Prabhas is not suited as Ranbir in Animal look-wise ... Anyway, somehow the vanga needs to cook hard; that's all I want," one shared. One posted, "The first look of Prabhas from Spirit looks like Ranbir Kapoor's look from Animal."
"But it just looks like Ranbir in an animal though... dupe," one wrote. Another shared, "Why tf he got the same looks for his actors."
Many also said that Deepika made the right decision by walking out of the film, adding that she didn't deserve to be part of it.
The film also stars Vivek Oberoi, Kanchana, and Prakash Raj. It is believed that Prabhas will essay the role of a cop, while Triptii will play his love interest. There were also reports suggesting that Deepika Padukone was initially in the running for the role, which eventually went to Triptii after Deepika reportedly stepped away due to work-hour conflicts with director Vanga.
Spirit is speculated to release sometime in 2026, although the makers have yet to announce an official release date. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Krishan Kumar, and Prabhakar Reddy Vanga. As per reports, Spirit will be released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Korean, Japanese, and Mandarin.
