India, Jan. 5 -- Deepika Padukone is proving that when one door closes, another blockbuster opens. After her much-discussed exit from Spirit and Kalki 2, the superstar quickly pivoted to join forces with director Atlee for his next big project, AA22xA6. And just as anticipation reached a fever pitch, a striking first look from the film dropped today - perfectly timed with her 40th birthday.

The image, shared by Sun Music - a channel under Sun Network which is producing the film, has sent fans into a frenzy. The still offers a glimpse of Deepika's fierce new avatar in Atlee's ambitious sci-fi actioner co-starring Allu Arjun.

Deepika had previously made headlines after exiting two high-profile projects, Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD. Reports s...