Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and the price of stardom: When does having power become having too much? 

There is a fine line between recognizing your value and becoming too arrogant because of your star power. As per the recent news, if the allegations regarding Deepika Padukone’s departure from Spirit are to be believed, it seems like she is currently straddling that line. 

To be clear, these are allegations, not established facts. Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga claims that Deepika insisted on getting 10% of the film’s profits apart from her salary and that her problems with the working schedule resulted in her quitting the project. He has also alleged that details about the film were subsequently leaked. There has been no official denial from Deepika and her team as of now. 

However, this informal dispute raises an important question: can stardom sometimes mislead the actors into thinking that every movie should cater to their needs? 

Deepika is justified in asking for the money she thinks she deserves. In fact, her career is among those which have contributed to the battle against gender pay disparity in Bollywood. During the production of Padmaavat, there were reports of her earning more than her male partners for the first time in the history. 

So, demanding a profit share, in itself, shouldn’t be treated as some outrageous act. 

The problem arises when power is used as leverage and that leverage creates disruption in the project. Spirit is a big film, featuring Prabhas and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, whose films have had great successes. The casting of Deepika had created a lot of excitement. But after she has left the project, Triptii Dimri joins the cast. Initially called a disagreement over payment, working hours and scheduling, reports now claim that producer claims a 10% cut and a leak. 

And suddenly, another name enters the conversation: Ranveer Singh. The timing is impossible to ignore. The other half of the famous Bollywood power couple is already in the middle of a scandal regarding his leaving Don 3. According to sources, Ranveer left the film directed by Farhan Akhtar just days before filming was about to begin, which led to them having a conflict with Excel Entertainment that produces their movies. The producers demand a compensation of Rs. 45 crore, while the situation has progressed to movie industry institutions. 

Are those two events related in any way? There are no sources proving that. However, it is still interesting. 

Deepika and Ranveer do not act as mere actors anymore, waiting for their next role. They have become brands. Now they can make very high fees, promote different products, for them, and have a huge audience. 

There is an irony in this situation. Deepika Singh has already been at the center of discussions over payment equality in the past. For example, there were reports about Baiju Bawra where it was stated that Deepika demanded to earn money equal to Ranveer Singh’s, thereby making her demand look like a question of equality. 

Equality is not the same as entitlement. 

It is business if an actor makes sure to negotiate terms that suit him or her. It is also business when an actor leaves when the proposed terms don’t satisfy him or her. But in case the claims about the profit-sharing terms of Spirit, its scheduling, and an alleged leak of related information are proved to be true, then the situation changes. 

Because at some point, the question isn’t “How much is a superstar worth?” 

It becomes: “How much power is too much power?” 

And probably this is the aspect that puts the issue of stardom on shaky grounds. The higher you go, the more you can negotiate, however, the higher you go the more responsibly you should count on the outcome of your negotiating process. 

Deepika has earned her superstar status. The question now is whether that status is being used to negotiate better, or simply to make the industry negotiate around her.