When Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared a new character poster of his upcoming film Spirit on Friday, fans were quick to focus on what was not there.

The poster introduced Vivek Oberoi in a striking new look. 

The production house tagged the cast and crew in its social media post. But one name was missingm, Prakash Raj.

The 60-year-old had been announced as part of the film last year. 

Earlier this month, reports claimed he had walked out after a heated exchange with Vanga over the script and a scene. 

The actor dismissed those claims on X, writing, “To all the toxic #Fakenews peddlers…. On #Spirit the movie. We have not even started shooting for my scenes .. and you whatsup factories speculate stories. Grow up and have a life,” he said.

But his absence from the latest post has raised questions again. 

A source has now confirmed that he is no longer part of the project. There is no word yet on who will replace him.

Spirit stars Prabhas and Triptii Dimri in lead roles. The new poster also introduces newcomer Aishwarya Desai.

The film marks Vanga’s return to Telugu cinema after Arjun Reddy and comes after the massive success of Animal, which earned ₹915 crore worldwide.

Backed by T-Series, Spirit is planned as a large-scale “pan-world entertainer” and will release in eight languages on 5 March 2027.