Friends, in today’s weekend blog, I am on Bollywood.
For the last few days, the media has been full of news of a fallout between Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar. The feud is regarding Ranveer Singh walking out of Farhan Akhtar-directed film Don 3, which is produced by Excel Entertainment (Farhan Akhtar & Ritesh Sidhwani)
Chronology of the Standoff
- After the release of Dhurandhar in mid-December 2025, which was declared a blockbuster hit, Ranveer announced that he is backing out of Don 3, just a month before the primary overseas shooting schedule was slated to begin.
- The financial fallout: Producers Excel Entertainment filed a formal complaint with Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), showcasing documents that they had already lost Rs 45 Cr in heavy pre-production costs on look tests, action training, and international recce setups.
- The FWICE boycott: On 25th May 2026, FWICE issued an industry-wide non-cooperation order, instructing its 4 lakh workers and technicians to refrain from collaborating with Ranveer Singh.
- The legal counter-strike: Ranveer bypassed federation meetings and strictly mounted a legal response, sending notice on 2nd June demanding FWICE legally justify its jurisdiction over a private actor-producer contract.
- FWICE’s retreat: Facing legal pressure and producer body mediation, FWICE withdrew the ban at a press conference, with their President offering an olive branch by inviting Ranveer for peaceful talks.
Core Reasons for Ranveer’s Exit
Though Ranveer initially maintained a quiet posture, details leaking from recent private mediation rounds reveal deep creative and financial friction.
- Script Disconnect: Ranveer felt the final script drafts did not meet the qualitative expectations. He also reportedly expressed frustration that Farhan Akhtar could not focus entirely on the film due to his parallel music tours and acting.
- Drastic Budget Cut: Reports indicate that the production budget was drastically slashed by producers from an initial estimate of Rs 300-350 Cr to Rs 150 Cr, which concurrently slashed Ranveer’s fees.
- Dhurandhar Box-Office Leverage: Ranveer’s negotiating stance changed after his massive box-office success with two-part spy thriller Dhurandhar. Given its historic theatrical pull, he hesitant to settle for a diluted version of Don 3.
Current Status & Industry Repercussions
The dispute is far from over and has fundamentally altered how Bollywood views talent:
- Rejected Olive Branch: In an attempt to mend fractured relationships, Ranveer reportedly reached out to Farhan Akhtar and his sster Zoya Akhtar, offering to collaborate on a differently greed-upon films. Excel Entertainment swiftly rejected the offer.
- Producers Guild Step-In: The Producers Guild of India has stepped in to hold a fresh round of structured mediation over Rs 45 Cr damage claim. They released a strongly worded industry statement warning against a growing dangerous trend of eleventh-hour talent walkouts.
Behind the Scene Story
- Ranveer Singh was signed for Don 3 after Shah Rukh Khan backed out from Don 3. But after signing, Ranveer’s few films did not do well at the box office, and producers even approached Hrithik Roshan for Don 3, which was denied by Hrithik; insiders say that even Hrithik was not satisfied with the script.
- Ranveer allegedly felt that final drafts lacked the narrative punch required to justify stepping into the massive shoes of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Faced with the pressure of Don legacy and expectations, he chose to safeguard his post-Dhurandhar momentum rather than commit to a version of the film he did not fully believe in.
- Sources suggest that several influential industry figures like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar were also involved in a mix of formal and informal discussions over time aimed at mediating the deadlock and finding a way forward.
- One of these unofficial meetings was reportedly attended by Ranveer Singh himself, where he is said to have laid out his concerns in detail. His primary grievance remained that the script did not meet the level of quality he had expected. He also reportedly expressed concerns that Farhan Akhtar was unable to dedicate sufficient time to Don 3 due to his commitments to music concerts and acting projects. He further alleged that there was a significant reduction in the film’s budget as well as his fees.
- Recognising the strain his exit has caused, apparently Ranveer also offered to settle the matter by proposing Rs 10 Cr in compensation, along with a discount on his fee for any future collaboration with the Akhtars. However, the producers rejected the offer, insisting on full compensation of Rs 45 Cr.
In the end, all signs suggest the battle is far from over. For the producer to find a new actor for Don 3 will be a tough task. The brief will be to find someone willing to step into a role that comes with its own history of unfinished drafts, bruised egos, and legal hassles. Perhaps the biggest irony is that a franchise built around a master criminal who always stayed one step ahead of everyone else is now struggling to move forward at all.
Let us wait and watch for further development on this matter.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
5th June 2026