When leading actor Ranveer Singh pulled out of Don 3 in December 2025, it sparked one of the most closely watched Bollywood disputes in recent years—a conflict that involved some 25 of the industry's most influential figures, led to an audit by the Big Four, involved the Producers Guild of India, and ultimately resulted in the withdrawal of cooperation from the Film Workers' Federation of Western India. Now, for the first time, people with direct knowledge of the private mediation process are providing a detailed account of what was discussed in those negotiations.
The dispute between Singh and Excel Entertainment—the production company of director Farhan Akhtar and producer Riteish Sidhwani—centers on a claim for damages of approximately INR 45 crore (US$4.7 million) and conflicting accounts of why the collaboration, announced with great fanfare in August 2023, fell apart three weeks before filming began. The timeline of events, as described by people directly familiar with the proceedings, paints a more detailed picture than the public narratives of both parties. Excel self-directed the first trailer on April 19, 2023, and released it on August 9, 2023, with Singh sharing it on his social media. However, the formal agreement setting out the basic terms of his collaboration was not signed until August 7, 2024, more than a year after he was publicly unveiled as the new Don, and after that, the two parties were still negotiating a long-term agreement.
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Don (1978), co-written by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar and directed by Chandra Barot, featured Amitabh Bachchan in dual roles: a ruthless mafia boss and his double, Vijay, a slum dweller who is apprehended by police to impersonate the gang leader after his death. The film became one of the biggest hits of the year. In 2006, Farhan Akhtar, Javed Akhtar's son, rebooted the franchise with Shah Rukh Khan playing both Don and Vijay in Don: The Chase Begins Again. The film was a resounding success, and a sequel, Don 2, was released in 2011 and screened at the Berlin Film Festival. It also featured a cameo appearance by another Bollywood star, Hrithik Roshan.
The sequence of events leading up to Singh's departure is significant because it determines the next steps. On March 25, 2025, Excel sent the latest script to Singh's manager. On August 25, 2025, the production team submitted a schedule including fight training, costume fittings, and principal photography from January 9 to the end of July 2026. Singh underwent fight training from November 3 to 12, 2025, with expenses covered by Excel. Fight rehearsals on November 17, 18, 23, and 24 were subsequently canceled by Singh's side; he attended a costume fitting on November 27. On December 2—the day of Dhurandhar's theatrical release—his team notified the production that he would be unable to attend the rehearsals on December 11 and 12. The spy thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Singh, became the fifth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time; its sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, released in March 2026, surpassed this figure to become the second-highest-grossing film of all time.
On December 15 and 16, Singh participated in script readings with Akhtar and key actors; multiple sources claim there is a video from the set where he expresses great enthusiasm for the project. A screen test scheduled for December 17 was canceled at the last minute. On December 20, Singh informed the producers by phone that he was leaving the film. By that date, Dhurandhar had grossed over Rs 500 crore (approximately $52.5 million) at the domestic box office.
The ensuing mediation process took place in several stages. The earlier meetings, which Singh did not attend, brought together around 25 senior industry figures, including Salman Khan, one of India's biggest stars, at the first meeting, and Hrithik Roshan, star of the "War" and "Krrish" franchises, director-producer Karan Johar, and actress Alia Bhatt at subsequent meetings, which were convened after Excel filed a formal complaint with the Producers Guild of India, the film industry's premier trade organization. A later joint meeting, attended by both Singh and representatives from Excel, included a smaller group that included Aamir Khan, one of Bollywood's most prominent actors and producers; actor Anil Kapoor; directors Rohit Shetty, Rajkumar Hirani, and Ashutosh Gowariker; producer Sidharth Roy Kapur; and Viacom18 studio head Ajit Andhare. These meetings were deliberately held outside the formal guild process so that all parties could speak without taking official positions.
Singh attended the joint meeting. According to sources, he arrived with several pages of handwritten notes and spoke for about 90 minutes. His pitch centered on four grievances: the script had never reached a level he was happy with; Akhtar had been unavailable for ongoing creative collaboration for the previous years, citing canceled meetings and the director's commitments to concert tours and an acting project; his fee had been revised downwards mid-production; and the film's budget had been significantly slashed from the initially discussed figure of around Rs 300–350 crore (approximately $31.5–$36.7 million) to approximately Rs 150 crore (approximately $15.7 million)—a scale he felt was insufficient for the franchise. According to people present at the meeting, Singh also said he had not received any advance payment for signing the contract. Separately, people close to Singh publicly stated that Excel considered replacing him with Hritik Roshan before reverting to him following the success of Dhurandhar. Roshan subsequently issued a public statement claiming he was never offered the role.
When Akhtar and Sidhwani were called to testify, they presented printed transcripts of their WhatsApp messages with Singh over several years. These transcripts, reviewed by the assembled panel, revealed that Singh responded positively—sources describe the messages as enthusiastic—to successive drafts of the script as they were presented. According to several present, the documented correspondence refuted his claim that the script never lived up to his expectations. Regarding the fee renegotiation allegation, Sidhwani's position, as conveyed by sources, was that no one from Excel had formally renegotiated or reduced the contract terms—that earlier discussions were part of pre-contract negotiations, not post-contractual changes. Claims regarding budget cuts and the director's availability were also challenged. Sources say that after the hearing concluded, all present concluded that the documentary evidence largely refuted Singh's allegations.
According to sources, at one point during these hearings, Sidhwani directly asked Singh whether he would have abandoned the project if Dhurandhar hadn't been a hit. According to those present, Singh replied that he would not.
Regarding financial matters, a Big Four accounting firm was engaged to audit Excel's pre-production expenses, though sources say it has no existing relationship with either party. The audit revealed a figure of approximately INR 45 crore (US$4.7 million), covering four overseas scouting trips, scriptwriting expenses, including changes requested or agreed to by Singh, cast and crew adjustments, and contractual obligations to more than 200 employees whose agreements were finalized before filming began in January. Variety could not independently confirm this figure. Sidhwani reportedly provided full financial statements for review from the outset of the dispute.
Following these meetings, Singh offered a settlement: immediate compensation of Rs 10 crore (US$1 million) and a 25% discount on his fee for any future Excel projects. Sources report that the producers rejected the offer, stating that a discount on future collaborations they no longer wish to forego was worthless, and that they were seeking direct monetary compensation for the losses they had incurred.
Communication with him effectively ceased. Sources say Singh left for the US after negotiations broke down, and that Excel's subsequent attempts to contact his team went unanswered. Word of his departure leaked before the parties could agree on a joint statement. The complaint was then transferred from the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA)—under whose auspices the case was initially formally filed—to FWICE, which issued a non-cooperation directive on May 25 after Singh's team failed to respond to three separate notices. FWICE Chief Counsel Ashok Pandit clarified that this action is not a legal injunction—the federation, as an industry organization, not a judicial body, cannot impose such restrictions—but rather a directive to its members across 30 affiliated professions, instructing them not to work on projects involving Singh until the dispute is resolved.
The legal dispute escalated further on June 1 of this year, when veteran producer T.P. Aggarwal—former president of the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) and four-time president of the Film Federation of India—filed a suit in the Bombay Civil Court against FWICE and IMPPA. Aggarwal argued that neither organization has the authority to issue a non-cooperation directive against anyone in the industry, citing a 2017 Competition Commission decision to that effect. "What FWICE did is completely wrong, and it's beyond their jurisdiction," Aggarwal said. "They can't do that.".
The directive also prompted a public reaction from the Cine and Television Artistes Association (CINTAA), of which Singh is a member. "CINTAA is proud to have Ranveer Singh as our member," said CINTAA Vice President Padmini Kolhapure. "We support him and help him whenever he needs us. We are here for him, with him." CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon said in an interview Variety India She stated that neither party had contacted the association and expressed regret that she had not been given the opportunity to mediate. "This is a very strange situation, because this is one of our members, but neither the artist, nor the producer, nor the Federation notified us or shared their thoughts," she said. "We could have tried to resolve the issue ourselves. That's what our association is for.".
Singh has not publicly commented on the controversy. His spokesperson issued a statement saying the actor "has deliberately chosen to remain silent, believing that professional discussions and personal relationships are best conducted with dignity, maturity, and mutual respect" and that he remains focused on his work and upcoming commitments. Variety contacted Singh's representatives at William Morris Endeavor but had not received a response by the time of publication. Variety also contacted Excel Entertainment, who stated: «We reserve the right to comment on the situation at this time, as we remain committed to following due process and necessary protocols.».
Sources who spoke with Variety, They sought to portray the conflict as a symptom of a broader problem in the industry, rather than as an indictment of any individual. A producer who attended several meetings noted that Singh himself had raised the issue of producers unfairly sidelining stars, citing examples of directors committing to projects and then backing out, leaving actors without compensation for disrupted production. The Producers Guild of Films is reportedly working on broader guidelines regarding star commitments and producer responsibilities, and the Don 3 case has been a catalyst for this process.
«Anyone who intends to abandon the project after attracting investment has been given a clear signal: such a decision cannot be taken lightly,» he said. Variety One of the leading producers who attended the meetings said, "These decisions should not be taken lightly." The same producer noted that ultimately, no industry organization has legal jurisdiction over both parties. "This can only be a negotiated settlement or a final decision that must be made in court," he said.
«I think, in a broader sense, we all want the ecosystem to thrive without any of the restrictions, limitations, and rules that the world has,» he said. Variety Another high-ranking producer present at the mediation sessions said, "This is not the path we want to take. There should be free business and free opportunities for everyone. But… we'll have to join forces and try to fix this.".
At the time of publication, no agreement had been reached between Singh and Excel Entertainment, and the dispute remained at an impasse.
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