Jun 05, 2026 4:38pm IST
‘Don 3’ Row: ‘Ranveer Singh’s Dad Thanked Me,’ Says CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon (EXCLUSIVE)
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) revoked its non-cooperation directive against actor Ranveer Singh, issued following the dispute between the actor and the “Don 3” makers, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment. In a conversation with Variety India, Poonam Dhillon, President of the Cine & TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), welcomed the withdrawal of the non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh and reiterated that industry disputes should be resolved through dialogue.
What was CINTAA's stand on the non-cooperation directive issued against Ranveer Singh, and how do you view its withdrawal?
As an actor and as the President of CINTAA, I'm happy that they've revoked the directive because he definitely didn't deserve it. We opposed it from the beginning because FWICE had absolutely no credibility to take such action against an actor of his caliber. As an actor, he has the right to select his work and it is between him and the producer how they handle the matter. He's responsible and committed to his work, and we have seen his body of work. As far as I know, he has an excellent relationship with Excel Entertainment, with whom he has made films like Gully Boy and Dil Dhadakne Do. Farhan Akhtar is also an actor. So our support is for him as well. We wouldn't want any of our actors to face such issues. Problems can always be resolved. We support Ranveer as he is a member of CINTAA.
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Upasana Singh, general secretary, CINTAA, was present at the press conference held by FWICE when they announced the decision to revoke the directive.
I think she went in her individual capacity - as an actor and friend of Mr BN Tiwari (FWICE president). CINTAA did not receive an official invitation for this press conference. We were also not informed about the previous press conference in which they announced they were issuing a non-cooperation notice.
Have you spoken to Ranveer Singh about this issue?
I spoke to Ranveer's father at length and we have been corresponding on WhatsApp. He has thanked me for our support. We spoke to them to understand the situation. He told me they had been interacting with Excel Entertainment and how close and fond he is of Farhan and the Excel team. There's no animosity from his side. They were not happy with the way FWICE had handled it. I asked him whether CINTAA could be of help. But he said, ‘We didn't involve you because we didn't want to trouble you and we're already in the process of sorting it out.’ Technically, he didn't need our intervention. I'm glad the matter has been resolved in a positive manner.
Do you think there should be a system or a neutral body that can handle such issues?
The complication created by FWICE was unnecessary. There are systems in place. People sit across the table and talk to each other. And of course, there's the law of the land. If they had approached the right people, like CINTAA, we could have had better communication. However, FWICE didn't approach us.
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