Rashmika Mandanna Defended Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Said He Has 'Utmost Respect' For Women

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Sandeep Reddy Vanga Vs Deepika Padukone Controversy: Rashmika Mandanna said director Sandeep Reddy Vanga doesn't look at women as creatures who need help.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga has become a controversial figure in Bollywood after his reported feud with Deepika Padukone. However, this is not the first time that the director has caught everyone's attention with his views. When his film Animal was released, it stirred a conversation about toxicity in society. Apart from the film, it was Vanga's opinion on relationships that garnered attention. However, Animal star Rashmika Mandanna defended the director and said he has immense respect for women.
Rashmika Mandanna told Siddharth Kannan in an earlier interview, 'What I have seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Sukumar (director, Pushpa 2) sir is their utmost respect towards a woman. They don't look at women as creatures who need help, they think that women are powerful. It comes through their craft."
She added, 'Geetanjali or Srivalli, both of these characters know that Ranvijay or Pushpa are killing 200 people out there, but still, they have the guts to stand up against them when they make a mistake. Voicing that up takes courage, Vanga and Sukumar think that a woman standing up against a man who can kill 200 people is possible because of their respect towards women."
Rashmika shared that Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Sukumar's respect for women shows in their work. She said, 'If you go to the depth of it, you will see the love and respect they have for women, that's how I was seeing it and portrayed it. That just came across through my character, because I have also done characters where I needed help, I needed to be saved, I will do those characters also. But these characters show a woman through a director's eyes, so it's an honour to be directed by them."
Meanwhile, the director is currently grabbing headlines for an alleged fallout with Deepika Padukone. For the unversed, it was first reported that Deepika Padukone was removed from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film, Spirit, due to a clash of demands. Reports claimed that new mom Deepika wanted a high remuneration and an 8-hour workday. Deepika reportedly demanded remuneration upwards of Rs 20 crore, which Sandeep couldn't match.
After her reported removal, Triptii Dimri confirmed that she was going to star in Spirit as the female lead. As per Telugu sites like Telugu 360, Triptii Dimri is charging Rs 4 crore for the film. Triptii has previously collaborated with Vanga on the massive box office hit film, Animal. Soon after, Sandeep Reddy Vanga called out an unnamed actor for 'dirty" PR games and accused them of leaking the script to the media. Many understood it to be a dig at Deepika Padukone.
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