Sanjay Gupta slams FWICE's ban on Ranveer Singh, 'What sense does it even make?'

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on Monday (May 25) imposed a ban on actor Ranveer Singh following his abrupt departure from Farhan Akhtar's ‘Don 3’, a matter that was brought before the workers' body by Farhan himself. The decision has since drawn sharp reactions from the industry, with filmmaker Sanjay Gupta now publicly questioning the rationale behind the federation's move.

Sanjay Gupta fires back at FWICE

Taking to X, the director wrote, “When an A List Hero shoots there are more than 300 workers working on sets. Ban him and you are not stopping him but depriving the workers of their livelihood. What sense does it even make???”.

Three notices, zero response — How the non-cooperation directive against Ranveer came to be

The non-cooperation directive against Ranveer was issued by FWICE following Farhan's approach to the federation in April over the ‘Don 3’ dispute. The actor had been served multiple notices by the body, to which he responded by asserting that FWICE was not the "appropriate forum" to resolve what he considered a contractual matter between the parties involved.

FWICE president Ashoke Pandit breaks down the federation's decision at press conference

FWICE President Ashoke Pandit addressed the media at a press conference to shed light on the reasoning behind the federation's decision. He explained that FWICE was compelled to act after Farhan filed a formal complaint alleging that Ranveer had walked out of the film just days before the shoot was scheduled to commence, and that the actor had consistently failed to respond to their notices. "As soon as the complaint reached us, we formally registered it. Subsequently, we issued three notices to Ranveer Singh: one every 10 days, inviting him to engage with us, and three reminders. However, we received absolutely no response. Since we received no response, we collectively decided to convene a press conference to apprise the industry of the decision our Federation has taken. 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," Pandit stated.

Farhan claims Rs 45 crore loss — The financial stakes behind the 'Don 3' dispute

Last month, Farhan brought the matter before FWICE, alleging that Ranveer's sudden exit from the project had resulted in monetary losses to the tune of Rs 45 crore. The federation's official letter elaborated on the sequence of events, "The complaint was filed by filmmaker Farhan Akhtar before IFTDA on 11th April 2026, following which the matter was officially referred to FWICE for further course of action and appropriate intervention. In accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency, and natural justice, FWICE convened meetings to hear the matter from all concerned parties. Farhan Akhtar, along with the producer of the film. 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. He expressed grave concern that the sudden withdrawal of such a leading actor from the project at an advanced stage could expose the producer to severe financial losses and adversely affect the overall execution of the film."

From Amitabh to SRK to Ranveer — The iconic legacy of the 'Don' franchise 'Don 3'

‘Don 3’ was officially announced by Farhan's production house Excel Entertainment in August 2023, accompanied by a teaser that unveiled Ranveer Singh as the new face of the iconic ‘Don’, a role that was originally brought to life by Amitabh Bachchan and later reimagined by Shah Rukh Khan.