Ranveer Singh’s team and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) have withdrawn their order against Bollywood star Ranveer Singh after issuing what is effectively a ban.
What caused the ban? Singh's departure from Don 3, the eagerly awaited action thriller produced by Excel Entertainment, was said to have been due to the clash of ideas on the script direction and the actor walked away from the project. His departure caused the production house to lose ₹45 crore in pre-production losses.
In response, FWICE—an organization of over 500,000 film workers in India—issued a directive against Singh, which was basically to not cooperate with the actor. The action was seen as an unheard of action against one of Bollywood’s biggest stars.
The Legal Challenge That Changed Everything. Singh’s legal team was quick. They maintained that the whole matter was a private contract dispute between the actor and the production house and FWICE had no jurisdiction to intervene. The legal battle was gaining momentum and soon others in the industry took note.
One of the key interventions came from the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) and the Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA). Both organizations advised FWICE to reconsider its position for the sake of industry unity. Faced with mounting pressure, FWICE had no choice but to reverse its decision.
And no one won or lost, Ashoke Pandit, FWICE chief advisor, said. This withdrawal was not a defeat for any party. “No one won or lost,” Pandit said, and further talks are to take place to resolve the issues at hand. It is all about the film industry and the good of the film industry, he said.
Kangana Weighs In
As news of Singh’s situation spread, Kangana Ranaut stood by Singh, cheering him on from the sidelines. In a typically sharp post she quipped that success comes with growing enemies—and it was a nod to her own long-standing battles with industry power centers.
Hence Ranveer Singh is free to work without union interference. But the bigger question of how Bollywood deals with contract disputes and worker representation is very much open.
