As the dispute surrounding the film Spirit involving Deepika Padukone and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga continues to develop, another wave of speculation has surfaced, this time concerning actress Tamannaah Bhatia. A simple ‘like’ on a widely shared video of Deepika sparked significant discussion among internet users. Did Tamannaah genuinely express her support? Tamannaah has now stepped in to issue a clarification for the same.
Tamannaah took to her Instagram stories with a playful and straightforward reply after multiple online outlets reported that she had liked a video of Deepika Padukone. In her announcement, she insisted that she had not engaged with the post, putting to rest any assumptions that she was choosing sides in the ongoing conflict between Deepika and Vanga. The now-famous clip features Deepika’s response during a press conference for Chhapaak in 2020, where she quickly rebuffed a gender-based inquiry posed by a journalist who questioned whether her husband, Ranveer Singh, financed her film.
This spat arose after it was reported that Deepika Padukone withdrew from Spirit due to disagreements over the filming schedule and a request for a revision of payment terms. It was indicated that she sought to be compensated on a daily basis for any shooting days that exceeded the original agreement of 100 days. Sources claim that Padukone’s management sought to adjust the terms of their contract, which led to a creative impasse resulting in her exit from the project. Notably, on the same day news broke out about Deepika’s exit, the studio revealed that Triptii Dimri, a breakout star from Animal, would be stepping into her role.
While Tamannaah’s explanation appears to have quelled the speculation on her end, the situation highlights how even an accidental ‘like’ can be misconstrued into a statement about industry dynamics. Social media users immediately interpreted her reaction as a subtle show of support for Deepika, who had recently garnered an outpouring of online encouragement following Vanga’s ambiguous remarks going viral. But as Bhatia aptly pointed out, “Random people are making this news”—sometimes, things aren’t as significant as they seem.
