Sai Pallavi Replaces Deepika Padukone In Kalki 2

'There was never any question of scrapping the role after Deepika's exit.'

Sai Pallavi is going places.

After playing Sita opposite Ranbir Kapoor's Rama in Nitish Tiwari's Ramayana, she will be seen as Junaid Khan's sweetheart in the forthcoming Ek Din.

But there's more.

Sai has been finalised to replace Deepika Padukone in Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2.

A member of the Kalki cast tells Subhash K Jha,"It is Sai (replacing Deepika). There was never any question of scrapping the role after Deepika's exit."

Deepika's Exit and Sai Pallavi's Entry

Deepika and the Kalki team had a noisy fallout last year.

Unconfirmed reports stated that Deepika stepped down from that film because she wanted a steep salary of Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million), an eight-hour work day in order to balance her role as a mother to daughter Dua, and a share in the film's profits.

The insider reveals, "Deepika wanted almost 35 percent more for the sequel than what she got in the first. No actor increases his or her fee in sequels. She exited, and now Sai Pallavi is in."

What Sai Pallavi may play in Kalki 2

Kalki 2 has been directed by Nag Ashwin, and stars Prabhas in the lead.

Deepika had portrayed Sumathi in Kalki 2898 AD, a character central to the emotional core of the story.

In that film, Sumathi is pregnant with the unborn Kalki, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, whose birth is prophesied to play a critical role in the mytho‑sci‑fi narrative.

Her involvement in the sequel was expected to be even more prominent.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff