Fact Check: Did Nag Ashwin React To Alia Bhatt Replacing Deepika Padukone In Kalki 2898 AD 2?

The

news of Deepika Padukone's exit from Kalki 2898 AD 2 left people surprised. Almost a year ago, the makers confirmed that the actress would not be a part of the second installment. The actress had played the role of Sumathi in the first part of Nag Ashwin's directorial. Post her exit, rumours of Sai Pallavi and Alia Bhatt replacing Deepika in this mythological sci-fi film spread like wildfire on social media. Recently, a statement by Nag Ashwin reacting to speculation that Alia is replacing Deepika surfaced on the internet. While the statement is from a media interview, the context is to it is not correct. Nag reacted to rumours of Sai Pallavi stepping into play Sumati, replacing Deepika.

What Nag Ashwin said about Sumathi in Kalki 2898 AD?

In an interview with Great Andhra, Nag was asked if Sai will be playing the role of Sumati which earlier essayed by Deepika. It is to be noted that Alia's name wasn't mentioned during this conversation. Reacting to Sai's speculation, the filmmaker said, "We need to announce who plays Sumathi character in Kalki 2. As of now everything is speculation only. Character will be there for sure which we can’t remove as it’s a very important character."

Meanwhile, an official announcement about Deepika's exit from Kalki 2 was made in September 2025. The makers took to X (formerly Twitter), they mentioned that the decision to part ways was taken after careful consideration. The makers stated that they were unable to find a partnership with Deepika during the making of the first part. "And a film like @Kalki2898AD deserves that commitment and much more. We wish her the best with her future works," the team of Prabhas-starrer wrote on social media.

Deepika Padukone and Sai Pallavi's work front

Meanwhile, on the work front, Deepika will next be seen in Siddharth Anand's King with Shah Rukh Khan. Also starring SRK's daughter Suhana Khan, the film will hit the big screen on December 24 this year. The actress also plays lead role in Atlee's upcoming film, Raaka, with Allu Arjun. She was last seen in Singham Again as Shakti Shetty.As for Sai, the actress recently featured in Ek Din with Junaid Khan. Her Bollywood debut film failed to work wonders at the box office. Her upcoming project is Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1, where she will be seen as Goddess Sita. The mythological epic will be released on Diwali.