Major film union in India calls for boycott of superstar Ranveer Singh

Fans of Bollywood histrion Ranveer Singh are reacting with daze aft a large movie workers' national asked its members not to enactment with him implicit his alleged abrupt exit from the upcoming movie Don 3.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), a large Bollywood workers' relation representing thousands of movie and TV unit members, said producers had already spent astir 450m rupees ($4.7m; £3.4m) connected pre-production erstwhile Singh allegedly withdrew from the film.

FWICE said it repeatedly asked Singh to explicate his position, but that helium refused.

The histrion has not commented connected the quality but reports accidental his squad questioned whether FWICE had the authorization to compel him to look earlier it.

The BBC has reached retired to Singh's squad for comment.

FWICE president BN Tiwari said the national had decided to contented a "non-cooperation directive" against the histrion until helium agreed to conscionable its representatives.

"We've decided to nonstop a connection to the manufacture that a superstar is not bigger than the rules," helium said.

The determination does not magnitude to a ceremonial ban, but it has inactive drawn wide attraction due to the fact that of Singh's stardom and besides due to the fact that of the popularity of the Don franchise, 1 of the industry's best-known enactment series.

First made celebrated by Amitabh Bachchan successful 1978, the films centre connected a charismatic and elusive underworld fig determined to physique a planetary transgression empire.

It was aboriginal rebooted by filmmaker Farhan Akhtar with Shah Rukh Khan successful the pb role.

Don 3, announced successful 2023, was acceptable to proceed the franchise with Singh taking implicit arsenic the caller lead.

The enactment has besides reignited treatment astir Singh himself - 1 of India's biggest movie stars, known for hits including Padmaavat and Gully Boy, and his flamboyant, larger-than-life personality.

Most recently, helium starred successful Dhurandhar, a two-part spy thriller which was 1 of the country's biggest box-office successes successful caller years.

The contention began aft Akhtar lodged a ailment against Singh with FWICE, according to national authoritative Ashoke Pandit.

Pandit alleged Singh withdrew from the movie astir 3 weeks earlier shooting was owed to begin, aft producers had already spent a batch of wealth connected prepping and overseas schedules.

In response, FWICE asked its members to boycott the histrion until helium met the national to explicate his position.

In a connection carried by respective Indian media outlets, a spokesperson for the histrion reportedly said that Singh had the "highest regard" for the movie manufacture and the Don franchise, and had consciously chosen to stay soundless connected the matter. The BBC has asked the actor's squad if the connection was issued by him but has not received a effect yet.

Singh is not the archetypal Bollywood histrion to look a non-cooperation directive from FWICE, though specified enactment against large stars is comparatively rare.

The national has antecedently urged Indian artists not to enactment with Pakistani performers during periods of subject hostility betwixt the 2 countries. In 2025, it issued a akin directive against actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh aft helium appeared alongside Pakistani histrion Hania Aamir successful a fashionable Punjabi comedy.

Reaction online to the latest quality has been divided. Some societal media users questioned whether Singh was being unfairly targeted, pointing retired that helium was not the archetypal Bollywood histrion to exit a film.

Others backed the producers, arguing that large-scale productions impact large fiscal commitments that tin beryllium disrupted by last-minute exits, and that Singh was "paying the terms for being unprofessional".

It is not the archetypal clip the histrion has recovered himself astatine the centre of nationalist controversy.

In 2025, Singh faced backlash aft mimicking a ritual series from the deed Kannada movie Kantara during a movie festival event. Critics accused him of disrespecting the taste value of the scene. He aboriginal issued an apology.

Earlier successful his career, successful 2015, helium was among the celebrities caught up successful the fallout from a arguable drama roast that sparked constabulary complaints and a wider statement astir obscenity and escaped speech.