In an exclusive interview with Business Upturn, FWICE president B.N. Tiwari has said the federation never imposed a “ban” on actor Ranveer Singh over his exit from the film Don 3. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees has issued a non-cooperation directive against the actor, but Tiwari was firm that “ban” is the wrong word for it.
“We have issued a non-cooperation notice,” Tiwari said, adding that he had never described the action as a ban. He said the federation deliberately avoided the word “ban” because it is “very negative” and “sounds sensational”, and that the correct term for the action is non-cooperation.
Tiwari also pushed back specifically on reports describing the directive as a multi-year ban. “I never said that he has been banned for three years,” he said, referring to coverage that had characterised the action that way.
In practice, the directive means FWICE members are not to work with the actor while the dispute remains unresolved — something Tiwari framed as the federation’s prerogative. “Whether I work with you or not is my freedom,” he said. He indicated that producers were, in any case, unlikely to sign the actor while the matter was open.
The directive follows Ranveer Singh’s exit from Don 3, the Excel Entertainment project announced in August 2023 with a teaser unveiling him as the new Don. According to reporting on FWICE’s letter, the body acted after the actor did not respond to three reminders to appear before it. The complaint was first filed before the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) on 11 April 2026 and then referred to FWICE.
Tiwari said FWICE’s aim is to settle the issue internally rather than escalate it, and that he intends to bring filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, producer Ritesh Sidhwani and the federation to the table. “It’s an internal matter; we have to finish it, and we will finish it,” he said.
Ranveer Singh has not publicly commented on his exit from Don 3 or on the FWICE directive. According to Tiwari, the actor’s representatives have written to the federation stating that the matter does not fall under its jurisdiction. Business Upturn has reached out to Ranveer Singh’s team for a response.