May 26, 2026 2:05pm IST
Ranveer Singh FWICE Row Deepens as Legal Expert Calls Ban Order ‘Illegal’ (EXCLUSIVE)
On Monday, The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh in the "Don 2" exit dispute. Following that directive, Variety India approached a leading advocate to ask if the directive is legal, enforceable on an actor and what choices Singh has to fight this ban.
The FWICE: Established in 1956, it is a non-political organization that represents over 500,000 members. Dedicated to the cause of cine employees and safeguarding the economic and cultural interests of its members: film and television workers in Western India.
The Dispute: The matter was first raised by Excel Entertainment's Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. They approached the Producers Guild of India. They claimed that Ranveer Singh walked out of "Don 3," three weeks before principal shooting was to begin, causing massive financial damages. In a statement, FWICE stated, “The makers have incurred approximately ₹45 crore towards the film's pre-production. Akhtar submitted that such abrupt withdrawal from a committed project is highly unacceptable, contrary to industry ethics and against long-standing professional norms followed within the film fraternity.” Singh maintained he walked out because the production was unprepared, didn't even have a bound script despite being in development for years, and he blamed the producers for delaying the film.
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Speaking on the matter, advocate Ameet Naik, Founder and Managing Partner, Naik Naik & Co. observes, “The order passed by FWICE is illegal in more ways than one. Firstly, you can't have an order that bans anybody. That's in restraint of trade. Secondly, this is an abuse of dominant position and violative of competition laws. Thirdly, the FWICE has no jurisdiction and ultimately it is not a statutory body. So, now, by all these three counts, according to me, this order is liable to be set aside and must not be sustained. Such orders go to the root of fundamental rights of citizens and particularly personal liberty, right to livelihood, Article 19 and Article 21. And according to me, FWICE had no business in passing such an order.”
The directive: When Akhtar and Sidhwani approached FWICE with their grievances, the Federation issued communications requesting Ranveer Singh to personally appear before the committee and present his version of events to arrive at a resolution. Despite multiple communications, Singh chose to stay away.
Subsequently, FWICE received a response directly on behalf of Singh stating that FWICE is not the appropriate forum and that since the issues raised were contractual, they would require adjudication before the appropriate legal forum. FWICE has taken serious note of the said response and has issued a non-cooperation directive/ban on working with the actor until the compensation dispute is resolved, asking all its members not to work with Singh.
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