Prabhas had offered Sandeep Reddy Vanga to remake a Hollywood film, which didn't materialize since Vanga was uncomfortable with remaking a film, and instead remarked an original thought would suit the actor better. During the pandemic, Vanga got an idea and told Prabhas about it, who replied, "That's it, let's do it." That film is Spirit.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga, while promoting Animal (2023), revealed that the protagonist in Spirit comes from a middle-class background, in contrast to both Animal and Arjun Reddy (2017), where the male leads belonged to wealthy families.
At an event, a journalist asked Sandeep Reddy Vanga if this was some kind of ghost or supernatural film going by the title. Vanga clarified that it isn't one and is instead about a sincere cop.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga and music director Harshavardhan Rameshwar went to Mahabalipuram to record sounds from temples, beaches, and other locations, claiming to be experimenting with something new.
Deepika Padukone was the original choice as the female lead but walked out of the film when her demands were not met. She had refused to shoot for more than 6 hours a day for the film and, via her agency, also started to demand an amendment to the contract. The point of contention was simple-if the shoot extends beyond 100 days, she will have to be paid extra for every single day of the shoot beyond the commitment on paper. Eventually, she was replaced with Triptii Dimri, who had previously worked with Sandeep Reddy Vanga on Animal (2023).