The ongoing internal dispute within the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) has intensified, with actor and General Secretary Upasana Singh alleging that she was issued a show-cause notice after publicly supporting actor Ranveer Singh amid the controversy surrounding his exit from Don 3.
In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Upasana questioned why her support for Ranveer had become an issue, saying that as CINTAA General Secretary, she considered it her responsibility to stand by any association member facing an industry-related dispute.
“I spoke in favour of Ranveer Singh. So how did I lose my focus?” she said, adding that she is also a member of the General Council of the Federation along with Vikas Verma and Sahila Chadha.
Upasana said she had not made any inappropriate statement while supporting Ranveer and claimed that her comments received widespread attention and were appreciated by several people in the industry.
“I told them that he was a ‘Dhurandhar’ who helped the industry get back on track and revive it, but they did not like it,” she said.
According to Upasana, Poonam Dhillon subsequently sought an explanation from her about her participation in the matter.
“Poonam asked me for a complete explanation of how I went there. ‘How can you do this?’ I was asked and was given a show-cause notice,” she alleged.
The actor also raised questions about the functioning of CINTAA and the manner in which certain internal decisions were being taken. She cited the appointment of Paintal as the new Joint Secretary, alleging that the decision was taken without consulting the wider membership.
“Our Senior Joint Secretary, Mr Hemant Pandey, is a very good actor. He did not say, ‘Yes, madam,’ and give in to their working process. One day, suddenly a meeting was called and Mr Paintal was declared as the new Joint Secretary,” she said.
Upasana further alleged that fixed deposits (FDs) belonging to members were broken and the money transferred to a current account, calling for greater consultation with members before such decisions are taken.
The dispute over Ranveer dates back to his exit from Don 3, following which the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) had issued a non-cooperation directive against the actor. The directive was withdrawn in June after the dispute escalated, with producer-director Farhan Akhtar and Excel Entertainment reportedly claiming losses arising from his departure. Ranveer subsequently issued a legal notice, while several industry bodies, including CINTAA, became involved.
The episode also triggered differences between CINTAA and FWICE. Poonam had earlier questioned Upasana’s presence at an FWICE press conference, saying CINTAA had not been informed about her participation and that authorisation would have been required if she was representing the association.
Upasana, however, maintains that her intervention was part of her responsibility towards a fellow CINTAA member and has questioned why she was required to explain her support.