On Monday, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) announced a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh after his exit from Farhan Akhtar’s Don 3. The decision comes after complaints were filed by filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani over the actor’s reported exit from the much-awaited franchise.
What’s the controversy?
The controversy began after reports surfaced that Singh had stepped away from Don 3 shortly before the production was expected to start. Excel Entertainment later reached out to FWICE and claimed that the production had already invested heavily in the film’s pre-production process.
FWICE addresses the matter
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, FWICE Chief Advisor and Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association President Ashoke Pandit explained the matter, saying, “The issue began on 11th April when Farhan Akhtar filed a complaint with FWICE. As the head of the association, I received it. In his complaint, he stated that he wanted to meet us and register a complaint against actor Ranveer Singh.”
According to FWICE, the matter was officially referred through the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), after which the federation initiated discussions with all parties involved.
As per the official statement by FWICE, “During the proceedings, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani informed FWICE that they have already incurred approximately Rs. 45 crores towards the pre-production of the film.”
Multiple notices were sent to Singh
FWICE members stated that multiple notices were sent to Ranveer Singh requesting his presence before the federation. However, they claimed there was no response from the actor for several weeks.
“Since we received no response, we collectively decided to convene a press conference to apprise the industry of the decision taken by our Federation. The moment we announced the press conference, we received an email from Mr Singh stating that this matter did not fall within our jurisdiction and that we had no authority to interfere in it. We took note of his stance and decided to proceed accordingly. Consequently, sitting together today, our Association has taken the decision to issue a ‘Non-Cooperation’ directive against Ranveer Singh,” Pandit further added.