Deepika Padukone Says 'Never Afraid To Ruffle Feathers' After Exit From Kalki Sequel Over Alleged 'Commitment Issues'

Deepika Padukone has resumed work after welcoming her daughter Dua Padukone Singh in 2024. She is currently shooting for King with Shah Rukh Khan and will begin working on Atlee’s film with Allu Arjun

before the year ends. Recently, the makers of Kalki 2898 AD announced that the actress wouldn’t be a part of the sequel, hinting at ‘commitment’ issues. Before this, reports claimed that Deepika and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s collaboration didn’t materialise due to her 8-hour work mandate. While she is yet to come on record to clarify speculations around the films that didn’t work out, the actress spoke about 'challenging the status quo' in a new statement.

Deepika Padukone on 'challenging the status quo'

On Tuesday, IMDb unveiled its special report, 25 Years of Indian Cinema (2000-2025), analysing the top five most popular Indian films released each year from January 2000 to August 2025. Deepika appeared in 10 out of 130 movies that featured in the list. The actress spoke about her journey in the film industry.ALSO READ: Deepika Padukone, Farah Khan Break Silence On Rumours Of Unfollowing Each OtherDeepika said, “When I began my journey, I was often told how a woman must or is expected to navigate her career in order to be successful. However, from the very beginning, I was never afraid to ask questions, ruffle feathers, walk a more difficult path and challenge the status quo in order to reshape the mould we have all been expected to fit into.”She added, “The faith my family, fans and collaborators have had in me, has also empowered me to make the choices and decisions that I have, hopefully forever altering the path those after me will tread. IMDb’s Report on 25 Years of Indian Cinema further validates and strengthens my belief that honesty, authenticity and resilience matter, and that by being true to your core beliefs with consistency, change is possible.”

Deepika Padukone, Farah Khan row

Earlier this week, eagle-eyed netizens noticed that Deepika and her mentor, Farah Khan, don’t follow each other on Instagram. They speculated that the Om Shanti Om director’s playful jibe at the actress caused tension in their relationship. Farah clarified to Pinkvilla, "To begin with we were not following each other earlier too. We had made a pact during Happy New Year shoot that we don’t communicate on Instagram, instead direct message and call. We don’t even wish birthday wishes on Insta because Deepika doesn’t like it."Deepika is shooting for King with Shah Rukh in Poland. She will join Allu Arjun on Atlee’s movie set later this year.