5 min readMumbaiMay 26, 2026 11:33 AM IST
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on Monday banned Ranveer Singh forwalking out of Farhan Akhtar’s directorial Don 3, weeks before the shoot was set to begin. The actor has also not appeared before the film body to present his side of the story despite three periodical reminders every 10 days, after which they decided to place a ban on him.
Not the first actor to be banned by FWICE
However, Ranveer isn’t the first actor to be banned by the FWICE. Previously, the film body has placed bans on actors, mainly from Pakistan, after the tension between the two countries increased.
For instance, on the occasions of both the 2016 Uri attacks and the Pahalgam terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir last year, the FWICE put a ban on all Pakistani artists to work or perform in India. As a result, actors like Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, among others, who were gaining popularity in India for their work in Bollywood films, were barred from working in Indian productions.
FWICE also urged all Indian artists and technicians to not collaborate with any Pakistani national across the globe.
Diljit Dosanjh, Mika Singh’s bans
Last year, following the FWICE’s appeal to Indian artistes to not work with any Pakistani artistes, actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh appeared alongside Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in popular Punjabi comedy, Amar Hundal’s Sardaar Ji 3. While the film never saw light of the day in India, it was released in the rest of the world. Diljit even promoted the movie in cities like London.
The FWICE consequently issued a non-cooperation directive against Diljit, asking its 5 lakh sitting members, including technicians, workers, and other suppliers, to not work with Diljit in any capacity. It also wrote a letter to production house T-Series, asking it to drop Diljit from Anurag Singh’s period war drama Border 2, which had already gone on floors.
Hania Aamir and Diljit Dosanjh in Sardaar Ji 3.
It’s only when T-Series head Bhushan Kumar personally pleaded to the FWICE that the film body allowed Diljit to complete the shooting of Border 2. However, FWICE Chief Advisor Ashoke Pandit maintained that the non-cooperation against the actor-singer would continue after the exception. However, post that, Diljit has also shot for Imtiaz Ali’s period romance Main Vaapas Aaunga, which is slated to release in cinemas on June 12.
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Prior to Diljit, singer Mika Singh also faced a short-lived FWICE ban in 2019 after he performed at a wedding in Karachi, Pakistan following the Uri attacks. More notably, the wedding was of a very close associate of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. However, Mika met the FWICE officials and explained his side of the story. After he apologized to the film body and explained that his involvement in the Pakistani wedding was “just a coincidence”, the FWICE revoked its ban on the singer.
Why has Ranveer been banned by FWICE?
Now, a non-cooperation directive has been issued against Ranveer Singh, but the reason is completely different. The FWICE on Monday said that the actor abandoned Don 3 just three weeks before the crew was scheduled to leave for the shoot of the film to a foreign location. The film’s producers – Excel Entertainment’s Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani – filed an official complaint and provided all the proof for the expenses they incurred after Ranveer’s nod to the film.
Also Read — Ranveer Singh’s team reacts to FWICE ban over Don 3 exit: ‘Narratives surfaced over time’
Excel Entertainment now seeks damages of Rs 45 crore, the amount they allegedly spent on Don 3’s pre-production. FWICE claimed that they sent Ranveer three reminders over 30 days but he did not personally appear before them to present his side of the story. Thus, the film body took this strict stand against him. While Ranveer has said that the issue is outside the jurisdiction of FWICE, past directives have shown that they are often used as pressure tactics to start negotiations.
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Given Ranveer’s next after Dhurandhar franchise, Pralay, is expected to go on the floors in August this year, this ban may pose difficulty in the way of the production. FWICE has over 5 lakh members and the non-cooperation directive can impact getting the crew in place for the film. It can also impact shooting of the actor’s promotion schedules in the days to come.
