The controversy surrounding Ranveer Singh and his sudden exit from Don 3 has intensified, with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issuing a non-cooperation directive against the actor as reported by The Indian Express.
According to reports cited by The Indian Express, the film body accused Ranveer of failing to respond to repeated invitations to appear before them and explain his decision to walk away from the much-anticipated film.
As reported by The Indian Express, the matter began after filmmaker Farhan Akhtar filed a formal complaint with FWICE regarding Ranveer’s departure from the project just weeks before the production team was scheduled to leave for the shoot.
“On 11th April, Farhan filed a complaint. Three weeks before the unit was to leave for shoot, Ranveer left the movie,” said Ashoke Pandit, Chief Advisor to FWICE, while speaking to the media in Mumbai on Monday.
According to The Indian Express, FWICE then invited Farhan Akhtar and his producing partner Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment to present their side of the matter. While Ritesh attended the meeting in person at the FWICE office, Farhan reportedly joined the discussion virtually from London via Zoom.
“They narrated the full incident for two hours. They also presented all the expenses incurred on pre-production, which are accounted for and audited. These include hotel bookings, location bookings, and overseas travel bookings for over 200 workers. Everything is on paper. Nothing is hearsay,” said Pandit.
The pre-production expenses allegedly amounted to Rs 45 crore, which Excel Entertainment is now seeking from Ranveer Singh as compensation. Ashoke Pandit further claimed that the actor had signed a three-film agreement with the production house and had actively participated in the film’s development process.
“Ranveer had signed a contract with Excel Entertainment for three films. The entire recce was in his presence. The inputs for script were made in his presence. A promo was shot with him to announce the film,” underlined Ashoke Pandit.
As detailed by The Indian Express, FWICE later invited Ranveer Singh to personally appear before the federation and share his side of the story. However, despite allegedly sending three reminders over a period of time, the actor did not respond. Eventually, on May 23, his secretary reportedly sent an email arguing that FWICE did not have jurisdiction over the matter and therefore could not compel his appearance. The mail also stated that the secretary was willing to meet the federation representatives on Ranveer’s behalf.
FWICE members strongly objected to the response and explained why they had decided to issue a non-cooperation directive against the actor.
“When a federation is inviting you to talk, you say it’s not our domain. We know our jurisdiction. It’s a trade union. We don’t appreciate him saying that. We’ve taken a stand in the interest of the producers and the industry,” said Ashoke Pandit.
FWICE president BN Tiwari added, “We’ve decided to send a message to the industry that a superstar is not bigger than the law. We’re issuing a non-cooperation directive until he decides to meet us personally.”
“None of our sitting workers across India — including technicians, spotboys, etc — will work with Ranveer Singh,” added Ashok Dubey, General Secretary, FWICE.
The organisation also urged producer bodies to support their stance, arguing that sudden exits from films can create financial instability and affect thousands of workers employed in the industry.
“We request all producer bodies to support us because any actor can leave a project by flatly saying that he doesn’t like the story,” said BN Tiwari.
“When a film is stopped suddenly, thousands of workers’ jobs get hampered. It’s a big loss for the producers and the workers. We’ve always maintained a fair balance between the producers and the workers. Tomorrow, if a producer removes a director or a technician at the last minute, we’ll take a similar stand. We should ensure people are not humiliated like this,” added Ashoke Pandit.
According to The Indian Express, Pandit also revealed that several prominent industry figures, including Aamir Khan, Siddharth Roy Kapur, and Shibashish Sarkar, had attempted to mediate the dispute, but discussions failed to produce a resolution.
FWICE further warned that the non-cooperation directive could significantly impact Ranveer Singh’s future projects because of the federation’s large network of affiliated unions and workers.
Pandit stated that the federation has more than 5000 sitting members and 32 affiliated craft unions, adding that the directive would affect not just feature films but also advertising shoots since technicians, workers, and vanity van suppliers belong to the same ecosystem.
When questioned about Ranveer’s reported upcoming collaboration on Pralay with filmmaker Jai Mehta, backed by Hansal Mehta and Applause Entertainment, Pandit remarked, “It’s a producer’s risk. We’ve warned the producers that if they go ahead, it’s going to be their loss. This stand should have ideally been taken by producer bodies.”
He also highlighted the scale of employment in the entertainment industry, emphasizing that the issue extends beyond actors alone.
He further pointed out that nearly five lakh workers are employed in the film industry, stressing that it is “not just about the actors.”
Despite the strong action, FWICE members maintained that the move was not driven by personal animosity toward Ranveer Singh.
“We all respect him. This is not personal. He’s a very important person of the film industry. He’s brought the audience back to the theatres,” said Ashoke Pandit, referring to Ranveer Singh’s blockbuster franchise Dhurandhar, which reportedly earned over Rs 3000 crore worldwide this year.
“We celebrate and respect his stardom. But you can’t take a stand of being aloof from the industry,” added Pandit.
“Bachche jab kharab ho jate hain, unko sahi karna padta hai,” concluded BN Tiwari.
Responding to the non-cooperation directive, Ranveer Singh’s spokesperson released an official statement defending the actor’s silence on the matter.
“Ranveer Singh holds the highest regard for the film fraternity and for everyone associated with the Don franchise. Throughout the recent developments surrounding Don 3, he has consciously chosen to maintain silence, believing that professional discussions and personal equations are best handled with dignity, maturity and mutual respect. While several narratives and speculations have surfaced over time, Ranveer has never considered it necessary to respond publicly or contribute to conjecture. His focus remains firmly on his work and the commitments ahead. He continues to hold deep respect and goodwill for all those involved and sincerely wishes the franchise continued success. Choosing restraint and grace in moments like these has always been a conscious decision on his part, and he will continue to maintain the same stance.”
The controversy dates back to December 2025, when Ranveer Singh officially exited Don 3 nearly two years after signing on to headline the project. Reports suggested that the actor cited creative differences and changes in the script as the primary reason behind his decision.
As noted by The Indian Express, his exit came shortly after the success of Dhurandhar, which released theatrically on December 5, 2025, and emerged as a massive box-office hit.
Meanwhile, Farhan Akhtar and Excel Entertainment reportedly maintained that the production house had already committed substantial resources to the film based on Ranveer’s confirmation. They alleged that the actor repeatedly delayed the project citing scheduling conflicts before eventually stepping away entirely.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Farhan Akhtar briefly addressed the controversy and reflected on the unpredictability of filmmaking.
“What I’ve learnt is expect the unexpected. You can’t take anything for granted until it’s on film,” he said.
“You realize at some point, there’ll be a period that would come that would be a bit challenging. You’ve had it good. It’s okay, just take it in your stride,” the filmmaker-actor added.
FWICE, or the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, is one of the most influential workers’ unions in the Indian entertainment industry. The body serves as the parent organisation for 32 craft associations and works toward protecting the economic and professional interests of its members.
According to The Indian Express, FWICE routinely intervenes in disputes involving contractual disagreements, professional misconduct, and non-payment of wages. It also possesses the authority to issue non-cooperation directives against actors, producers, directors, or production houses accused of violating industry norms.
The federation additionally establishes guidelines concerning minimum wages, working hours, and safety standards for technicians, artistes, and daily-wage workers. It also investigates workplace misconduct and can initiate disciplinary action whenever necessary.
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