MUMBAI: The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on Monday said its more than four lakh members would not work with Ranveer Singh following his last-minute exit from Don 3, which had been in the making for three years.
Farhan Akhtar and his partner Ritesh Sidhwani had filed a complaint against Singh before the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), which then referred the matter to FWICE for further intervention.
Don 3, which was to reboot the successful franchise for a third time with a new lead actor, was yet to begin shooting. The producers claim more than Rs 45 crore had already been spent during the pre-production phase.
“We will not work with Ranveer Singh after today whether it is cameraman, spot boy, lightmen or anyone else from our side. This non-cooperation will continue till the dispute is cleared.
“An artist becomes an artist because of the people, because of the members who work with us, the technicians, those who watch the movies. You leave a film which many people have worked on for three years,” FWICE honorary general secretary Ashok Dubey said at a press conference.
“We wrote a letter to you but there was no reply so no member from FWICE will work with you,” he added.
FWICE is the primary trade union and umbrella organisation for film and television workers in India. According to its website, the organisation was formed in 1956.
Apart from safeguarding the interests of its members, the body also mediates disputes involving artists, technicians and production studios.
“The Federation works for the betterment of its workers. But if injustice is done to a producer, the federation will back the producer. So we have decided that a message should go to the industry that a superstar is not bigger than rules or the system,” FWICE president B N Tiwari said.
According to Ashoke Pandit, chief adviser to FWICE, Singh withdrew from the film three weeks before shooting was to begin.
“The filmmakers have suffered a huge loss. They made their presentation before the FWICE. The Federation sent letters and reminders to Ranveer Singh to come and share his side. He chose not to reply to three notices.
“We had a meeting of all the office bearers and decided to issue a non-cooperation directive. It means any FWICE member - working across 38 crafts - will not work in projects where Singh is involved. Shootings will not be able to happen,” Pandit told PTI.
Pandit, who was also present at the press conference, said Singh sent an email to FWICE soon after the media interaction was announced.
“He stated, ‘Your federation does not fall into the jurisdiction of this entire issue, so the body has no reason to get involved in this dispute’,” Pandit added.
Don 3 was intended to mark Akhtar’s return to direction after Don 2, which featured Shah Rukh Khan. The original Don, written by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, starred Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman.
Singh reportedly walked out of Don 3 citing script changes as the reason. Akhtar and Sidhwani have claimed that the actor, who recently delivered a major success with Dhurandhar, delayed the project multiple times before finally exiting in December last year.