MUMBAI — In a significant turnaround, a major Indian film workers’ union has withdrawn its directive issued just nine days ago to its members asking them not to work with Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh after his alleged abrupt exit from an upcoming film.
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issued the informal ban on May 25 after the producers of Don 3 complained that Singh had quit the film just weeks before filming was set to begin.
The boycott withdrawal comes after Singh reportedly sent a legal notice to the federation.
Announced in 2023, Farhan Akhtar’s Don 3 was billed as the next chapter in one of Bollywood’s most successful and enduring action franchises.
The franchise was launched by superstar Amitabh Bachchan in 1978 and rebooted by Akhtar with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. Singh had been chosen to carry it into its next chapter.
The move against Singh had triggered widespread debate within the industry with many producers and directors questioning the decision.
On Wednesday, FWICE president BN Tiwari backed Singh, saying the industry stood behind him and that the federation’s legal team would respond to the notice.
FWICE chief adviser Ashoke Pandit said the decision followed requests from several industry organizations and urged Singh to meet the union to resolve the dispute.
“We celebrate his stardom… We don’t have any authority to ban anyone. We are hopeful that there will be a positive reaction from Ranveer,” he told NDTV news channel.
Singh has not commented publicly, though his spokesperson earlier said he held the film industry and the Don franchise in the “highest regard” and had chosen to stay silent.
Singh is one of India’s biggest film stars, known for hits including Padmaavat and Gully Boy, and his flamboyant, larger-than-life personality.
Most recently, he starred in Dhurandhar, a two-part spy thriller which was one of the country’s biggest box-office successes in recent years.
The dispute began after Akhtar complained that Singh had quit Don 3 just weeks before overseas shooting was due to begin, after producers had already spent about 450 million rupees ($4.7m; £3.4m) on pre-production.
Following the complaint, the union asked its members not to work with Singh until he explained his position.
Such action against major stars is rare, though FWICE has previously urged Indian artists not to work with Pakistani performers during periods of tension between the two countries.
In 2025, it issued a similar directive against actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh over his appearance alongside Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in a Punjabi film.
It is also not the first controversy involving Singh.
In 2025, he apologized after facing backlash for mimicking a ritual sequence from the hit Kannada film Kantara at a film festival event, with critics accusing him of disrespecting its cultural significance.
Source: Saudi Gazette