Exclusive | FWICE slams Ranveer Singh over Don 3 exit: “Being successful doesn’t mean you abandon people who stood by you”

Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president B.N. Tiwari has come down heavily on Ranveer Singh for his silence and sudden exit from Don 3, questioning the actor’s work ethics and loyalty to filmmakers who backed him.

Speaking exclusively to Business Upturn, Tiwari said, “Farhan Akhtar is a very decent man. He’s also an artist, a singer, an actor, so he understands this world of films. He understands every sentiment, he’s a director too and he’s given good films in his career so far. His films have been praised.” He went on to questions Ranveer Singh and added, “There are some people who are making films and if you don’t support them, then who will you work with? Today, God has blessed you, your film Dhurandhar is a superhit. You’ve become a superstar, you’ve reached number one, but that doesn’t mean you abandon the last person who stood by you.”

The strong remarks come amid a hardening deadlock between Ranveer Singh and Excel Entertainment over the actor’s abrupt withdrawal from Don 3, announced in August 2023 with Singh unveiled as the new Don. FWICE has since issued a “non-cooperation” directive against the actor after he allegedly failed to respond to three notices from the federation and did not engage in mediation efforts.

No response at Producers Guild meeting

Tiwari revealed that an industry meeting was organised by the Producers Guild to mediate the dispute, where senior figures including Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, and other top names attempted to get a response from Ranveer Singh or his team. “A lot of trying and convincing was done, however this bore no result,” Tiwari said. “There was no reply from their side. They said, ‘We will maintain our dignity and remain silent.’”

He stressed that neither Ranveer nor any representative from his team has come out to talk to FWICE about the fallout. “We want to sit down — Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, and the Federation. It’s an internal matter. We have to finish it and we will finish it,” Tiwari said.

‘He is not opening his mouth’

Tiwari’s central frustration remains the actor’s silence on why he walked away from the project so close to shoot. “He is not opening his mouth, you see? He is not ready to speak up at all,” Tiwari said. “Let him just tell us that this is the reason. Even if you have taken a vow of silence, at least write it down and tell us how big the reason was so we can hear your side too. You are also one of our own — everyone belongs to the industry family.”

‘Non-cooperation’, not ‘ban’

Tiwari also clarified FWICE’s action against Ranveer Singh, pushing back on media reports calling it a “ban”. “I never said it is a ban. We have issued a non-cooperation notice,” he said. “We deliberately avoided the word ‘ban’ because it is too negative and sounds sensational. Whether I work with you or not is my freedom.”

He denied reports of a three-year ban circulating in media, stating no such timeline was given. “It’s running in the newspapers that he has been banned for 3 years. I never said that.”

No fight, parties still cordial

Despite the dispute, Tiwari maintained there was no altercation between Ranveer and the makers. “Had there been a fight, the matter would have escalated to a police complaint or to court. Instead, the two sides are still communicating respectfully and neither has attacked the other publicly,” he said. “They are only stating the losses; they haven’t resorted to abuses yet.”

Ranveer Singh has not publicly commented on his exit from Don 3 or on the FWICE directive. According to Tiwari, the actor’s representatives wrote to the federation stating that the matter does not fall under its jurisdiction.