Amid Deepika Padukone-Vanga controversy, throwback video of Rashmika Mandanna supporting 'Animal' director goes viral: 'They don't look at women...'

Renowned director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, known for films like 'Kabir Singh' and 'Animal', found himself in the midst of a controversy after his reported fallout with actress Deepika Padukone regarding his upcoming film 'Spirit' starring Bahubali fame Prabhas. 

According to reports, Deepika Padukone was dropped from 'Spirit' after disagreements with Vanga over pay structure and working hours. The 'Piku' actress reportedly demanded 8-hour working days and remuneration of Rs 20 crores. Vanga, on the other hand, took an indirect dig at the actress over the fallout. 

“When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA between us… Putting down a younger actor and ousting my story? Is this what your feminism stands for?" he wrote. He further added, “You didn’t get it. You won’t get it. You will never get it", he wrote in a post on 'X'. 

However, Deepika has not addressed the controversy yet. Amidst the drama, an old interview of 'Animal' actress Rashmika Mandanna is going viral where she defended Sandeep Reddy Vanga, asserting that he treats women with utmost respect. 

What Mandanna said about Vanga?

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Rashmika Mandanna praised both Vanga and Pushpa 2 director Sukumar, saying they treat women with great respect. "What I have seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Sukumar sir is their utmost respect towards a woman,” Rashmika said, adding that they don't view women as creatures who need help. 

“They don’t look at women as creatures who need help — they think that women are powerful. It comes through their craft", the actress added. 

She added that her characters Geetanjali (Animal) and Srivalli (Pushpa), despite being surrounded by male leads like Ranvijay (Animal) and Pushpa (Pushpa), spoke up whenever they felt they were treated in unfair manners. 

“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", says Rashmika. The Pushpa fame added tha the portrayal of Vanga or Sukumar's women characters is not coincidental, rather it finds its origin in how they view women. 

“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,” she said.