FWICE fires back at Sanjay Gupta over Ranveer Singh ban row, reminds him of ‘Mumbai Saga’ fallout

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has broken his silence on the ongoing controversy around Ranveer Singh's departure from ‘Don 3’ and the ban that followed from the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). Without naming anyone directly, Gupta made his stance clear with a pointed question aimed at the federation, "What sense does it make?".

FWICE hits back at Sanjay Gupta, brings up ‘Mumbai Saga’

The controversy took a sharp turn when Ashok Dubey, General Secretary of FWICE, fired back at Sanjay Gupta, bringing up a past incident involving the filmmaker himself. Dubey pointed to the Mumbai Saga controversy, where film bodies had reportedly stepped in to resolve the crisis after Jackie Shroff walked out of the project. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dubey said, "I want to ask Sanjay Gupta ji that when a few years back his film Mumbai Saga was being shot and Jackie Shroff ne aane se mana kar diya, ye hi IFTDA aur federation ne hi mil ke problem solve karvaya tha. Where was this objection then?".

FWICE clarifies it's an NCD, not a ban on Ranveer Singh

Dubey also moved to set the record straight on the nature of the action taken against Ranveer, clarifying that it was not an outright ban. The federation, he explained, had only issued a Non-Cooperation Declaration (NCD), which simply gives its members the choice to not work with the actor. "Agar ye trend chalta raha to kaafi filmmaker aur producers nuksaan mein jaayenge. Humne kisi ko ban nahi kiya, humne to non-cooperation bola hai, federation ke members ka decision hai ye film body ka internal decision hai," he said.

Ranveer Singh spotted in Mumbai, later visits temple amid controversy

Amid the controversy, Ranveer was spotted in Mumbai on Tuesday morning, though he was in no mood to face the cameras. The actor kept his face hidden behind a mask at the airport, refusing to pose for the paparazzi, a move that only added more fuel to the already heated online chatter around ‘Don 3’. Shortly after, he was seen at the Chamundeshwari Temple in Karnataka, seemingly seeking some quiet amid the chaos. Videos of the visit made their way online, capturing him seated on the ground during prayers and sharing a warm moment with temple priests for photographs. Clad in traditional attire, Ranveer looked calm and composed throughout the spiritual outing.

Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh yet to respond to ‘Don 3’ controversy

As of now, both Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh have chosen to stay silent, with neither having made any direct statement on the controversy so far.

Also Read : Producers of Ranveer Singh's upcoming projects may approach CCI amidst FWICE non-cooperation directive over 'Don 3' dispute