Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who has long been known to be an ardent fan of actor Chiranjeevi and has a huge poster of the actor on his office wall, has finally broken his silence on the rumors surrounding his upcoming film ‘Spirit’. In recent weeks, there were speculations that Chiranjeevi will play the role of Prabhas’ father in the film, but now Vanga has put an end to the discussion and termed these reports as completely baseless.

In a conversation with the team of the upcoming Telugu film ‘Jigiris’, when asked about the casting, Sandeep dismissed the speculations and said, “No, no, these are rumours. He is not in the film. If I have to, I will do a solo film directly with him (sic).”

The filmmaker, who has often talked about being a big fan of Chiranjeevi, also explained the significance of the actor’s poster in his office. He said, “That’s my favorite shot. Some time ago, I posted it on social media wishing her a happy birthday. I think it’s one of the best expressions of her.”

Here is the post:

When asked about the anticipated casting of South Korean actor Dong Lee, Sandeep cleverly sidestepped the question, neither confirming nor denying the reports, leaving fans curious.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga is actively participating in the promotions of ‘Jigiris’ directed by Harish Reddy Uppula and starring Krishna Burugula, Dheeraj Athreya, Mani Vaka and Ram Nithiin. Recently, at the trailer launch of the film, the director revealed his deep friendship with the film’s producer Krishna Vodapalli, calling him his childhood friend.

Here’s a glimpse of ‘Spirit’:

Meanwhile, Sandeep is currently focusing on the pre-production of ‘Spirit’, which stars Prabhas, Vivek Oberoi, Trupti Dimri, Prakash Raj and Kanchana in lead roles. The first audio glimpse released on Prabhas’s birthday took social media by storm. The film, a collaboration between Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series and Vanga’s Bhadrakali Pictures, will release in 2026.