Prabhas’ Spirit Pushed to Diwali 2027: Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Cop Drama to Clash With Ramayana Part 2

Prabhas’ much-awaited action drama Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, has been officially postponed, and the new date sets up one of the biggest box-office clashes Indian cinema has seen. The film will now release on October 29, 2027 — Diwali 2027 — putting it in direct confrontation with Ramayana Part 2 at the box office.

The postponement moves Spirit off its earlier March 2027 slot, which had been widely reported after the makers locked that window earlier this year. The shift to the festive Diwali corridor is a high-stakes bet: Diwali has traditionally been the most lucrative release window in Indian cinema, and planting a film of Spirit’s scale there signals the makers’ confidence in its event-film credentials.

Spirit marks the first collaboration between Prabhas and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who is coming off the blockbuster success of Animal. The film, backed by T-Series, casts Prabhas as a police officer — a first for the Baahubali star — and has been positioned as a raw, intense action drama in the director’s signature style. Ever since the announcement, the project has carried enormous expectations, with the actor’s massive pan-India following and Vanga’s track record of delivering polarising yet commercially explosive cinema.

The clash with Ramayana Part 2 is what makes this date announcement truly seismic. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, the two-part mythological epic headlined by Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Raavan, has been mounted on an unprecedented scale. The makers unveiled a new promotional video on October 17 featuring previously unseen footage — including Ranbir Kapoor’s battle sequences, Sai Pallavi’s warrior avatar and Yash’s Shiv Tandav — which has only amplified the buzz around the franchise. With Part 2 also eyeing Diwali 2027, the festival is now headed for a clash between two of the biggest films in the Indian release calendar.

Diwali clashes are nothing new to Indian cinema, but rarely have two films of this magnitude collided on the same date. Spirit brings Prabhas’ unmatched mass pull and Vanga’s cult following, while Ramayana Part 2 carries the weight of one of the most ambitious adaptations ever attempted in Indian film. The exhibitors’ calendar, screen allocation and advance-booking race in the run-up to October 2027 will be watched closely by the entire industry.

For now, the postponement gives both productions more breathing room — large-scale films like these often need the extra time for VFX-heavy post-production. But it also means Diwali 2027 is officially the date circled in red on every trade analyst’s calendar.

Source: Bollywood Hungama, The Hindu