‘A smaller producer would have sold their house’: Ashoke Pandit on Ranveer Singh-Don 3 row

“A producer and director came to us and filed a complaint. They told us they were making this film and had already invested Rs 45 crore. If you are making a Rs 300-crore film, such pre-production expenses are natural. Then, just three weeks before the unit was supposed to leave for the shoot, the hero (Ranveer Singh) backed out,” he said.

Pandit said the federation reviewed the documents and repeatedly sought a response from Ranveer Singh before taking any action.

‘Tickets were booked, hotels were booked’

Defending FWICE’s decision to intervene, Ashoke Pandit claimed the project had already reached an advanced stage of preparation.

“The unit was leaving for the shoot in three weeks. Tickets had been booked. Hotels had been booked. Everything had been done. A producer does not spend money like that without commitment from an actor,” he said.

Pandit further claimed that the federation had examined communications involving Ranveer Singh, filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani before reaching its conclusion.

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‘Ranveer Singh was never banned’

Ashoke Pandit strongly objected to reports suggesting that FWICE had banned Ranveer Singh.

“You would never have heard the word ‘ban’ from me or any federation representative. We are not a court. Who are we to ban anyone?” he said.

Clarifying FWICE’s position, Pandit added, “What we said was that our workers and technicians would not work on that film. That is our right. Nobody can force anyone to work. It was a non-cooperation call, not a ban.”

‘Many people, including Aamir Khan, tried to resolve it’

Ashoke Pandit also claimed that attempts had been made within the industry to settle the matter before it reached FWICE.

“Many people from the industry, including Aamir Khan, had been trying to resolve the issue before it came to us. That also didn’t work,” he said.

Pandit argued that a direct discussion with all stakeholders could have resulted in a different outcome.

‘This issue is bigger than Ranveer Singh’

Ashoke Pandit maintained that the controversy was not about targeting a particular actor but about preventing a precedent that could harm the film industry.

“Today it’s Ranveer Singh. Tomorrow it could be someone else. A producer invests crores based on agreements and commitments. If people start walking out at the last moment, the trust on which this industry runs will be destroyed.”

According to Pandit, the federation wants all producer bodies and industry associations to come together and establish a standard operating procedure (SOP) governing such situations.

“Whether it is an actor, director, assistant director, cameraman or spot boy, nobody should be able to walk away from a project at the last moment without consequences,” he said.

‘If it was a smaller producer, they would have sold their house’

Ashoke Pandit further argued that the issue extends beyond a single film or actor and could have serious consequences for smaller producers.

“This is what Excel is going through. If it was someone else, they would have gone to hell. They would have sold their house,” he said.

Referring to Excel Entertainment, Pandit argued that while a large production house may be able to withstand financial setbacks, smaller producers could be devastated by losses of a similar scale.

‘If you leave a film, reimburse the losses’

Ashoke Pandit repeatedly stressed that creative disagreements are understandable but should not absolve anyone of financial responsibility.

“You may have ten valid reasons for not doing a film. But if money has been spent because you committed to the project, then those losses should be reimbursed.”

He compared the situation to any other profession where commitments carry obligations and consequences.

Did Ranveer Singh offer compensation?

Asked about reports suggesting Ranveer Singh may have offered compensation or reimbursement to the producers, Pandit said FWICE has no official knowledge of any such arrangement.

“Officially, we don’t know anything about it. Neither Excel told us about it nor do we know about it,” he said.

Pandit added that any such discussions would be a matter between the parties involved and had not been communicated to FWICE.

What’s next?

According to Ashoke Pandit, FWICE is now in discussions with producer bodies, including IMPPA and others, to arrive at a broader industry framework that can address similar disputes in the future.

“There is a solution for everything. The solution is when everyone sits down and talks,” he said.

What is the Don 3 controversy?

The controversy stems from Ranveer Singh’s exit from Don 3 after having participated in the film’s pre-production process. Excel Entertainment allegedly claimed that around Rs 45 crore had already been spent on the project before the actor stepped away.

The dispute escalated when FWICE issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer, arguing that last-minute exits could harm producers and technicians. The directive was later withdrawn following discussions with industry bodies.

The matter also prompted the Producers Guild of India to raise concerns about actors, directors and technicians allegedly backing out of projects shortly before filming. No resolution between Ranveer Singh and Excel Entertainment has been announced so far.