- FWICE chief Ashoke Pandit demanded an apology from Ram Gopal Varma for abusive comments
- Ram Gopal Varma owes over one crore to FWICE technicians since 2017 and has not paid
- FWICE dropped the non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh after his legal notice
FWICE Chief Adviser Ashoke Pandit hit back at filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma over his disrespectful comments in the ongoing controversy involving actor Ranveer Singh and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees' (FWICE) non-cooperation directive against the actor.
At a FWICE press conference today, a day after Ranveer Singh issued a legal notice to the film workers' body over the non-cooperation directive, Ashoke Pandit demanded an apology from Ram Gopal Varma.
Pandit said, "FWICE is not a bully; it's a serious federation. Ram Gopal Varma used abusive language about us. We would like to tell the world today: RGV owes more than a crore to the technicians. The case has been going on since 2017."
He continued, "He (Ram Gopal Varma) wrote a letter to the federation. He asked for support from the federation to give him time to make the payment. He said he would pay by March 2019. He has still not paid. We demand an apology from him for using abusive words against the federation."
Ram Gopal Varma's Post Against FWICE
Ram Gopal Varma shared a series of posts on social media, questioning FWICE's decision and its authority in the matter.
"BAN 'FWICE' and not @RanveerOfficial. The so called 'BAN' or non co operation in the style of Gandhiji , will eventually become a BIG FAT JOKE on FWICE This isn't industry or worker protection, like they are claiming. It is just a pure performative muscle flexing, by an extremely outdated union system , desperately trying to hold on to their grip Whether it claims to speak for over 5 lakh or 50 lakh workers , the brutal truth is that most of those lakhs don't even know the internal facts of the two parties dispute," Varma wrote.
The filmmaker further argued that FWICE does not possess the authority to adjudicate such disputes and compared the organisation to a "kangaroo court".
"FWICE is neither a court of legal justice nor a government authorised regulatory body, and at best it's a kangaroo court, which by definition pretends to deliver justice, but in actual fact it disregards established legal rules, due process, and impartiality That is because the verdict is often decided in advance by a group of a specific agenda oriented people meeting privately including actors who are scared shitless with the mega success of @RanveerOfficial in Dhurandhar This will be a massive PR Disaster for FWICE because It is screaming in desperation while at the same time demonstrating its outdatedness."
Varma also defended the role of actors in sustaining the film industry, saying that stars contribute significantly to employment generation and the industry's overall functioning.
"It is stars like @RanveerOfficial who sell tickets at the theatres and not FWICE It is stars like @RanveerOfficial who create employment to those lakhs of FWICE workers and not FWICE It is only because stars like @RanveerOfficial exist , that the industry exists , and also the FWICE exists So in a summation , here is my unsolicited advise to all concerned 'Let's not poke our unwanted noses into a civil dispute between 2 parties'," he concluded.
BAN “FWICE” and not @RanveerOfficial
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) May 29, 2026
The so called “BAN” or non co operation in the style of Gandhiji , will eventually become a BIG FAT JOKE on FWICE
This isn't industry or worker protection, like they are claiming. It is just a pure performative muscle flexing , by an…
Fwice's Non-Cooporation Directive Against Ranveer Singh And Latest Update
Last week, FWICE announced a non-cooperation directive against the actor Ranveer Singh over his abrupt exit from Don 3. The decision comes more than five months after filmmaker Farhan Akhtar formally approached the federation with a complaint regarding the actor's withdrawal from the project.
BN Tiwari, the president of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees' (FWICE), on Wednesday announced that it had dropped the non-cooperation directive against Dhurandhar star Ranveer Singh on "request of CINTAA and IMPAA".
The announcement came a day after Ranveer Singh issued a legal notice to the film workers' body over its action over his last-minute exit from Don 3, directed by Farhan Akhtar.
At a press conference held in Mumbai on Wednesday, FWICE Chief Advisor Ashoke Pandit said that its legal team will respond to the legal notice sent by Ranveer Singh.
"The legal letter came to us yesterday and it was requesting us to remove the non-cooperation directive," he said.
"We appeal to Ranveer to come and sit with us and find a solution. We celebrate his stardom... We don't have any authority to ban anyone. We are hopeful that there will be a positive reaction from Ranveer," he added.
Farhan Akhtar's Demand
In the ongoing Don 3 dispute, Farhan Akhtar's primary concern appears to be financial, with sources claiming the issue centres around the Rs 45 crore already invested in the film.
The amount has reportedly been fully audited and accounted for, with the producers inviting further scrutiny if required. Amid the standoff, all parties, including Farhan Akhtar, Ranveer Singh, Ritesh Sidhwani and the concerned film bodies, are said to be open to sitting across the table to resolve the matter amicably, with the aim of restarting the film and ensuring no one suffers further losses.
The development marks a major escalation in the Don 3 controversy and puts the spotlight on industry accountability, contractual commitments and the role of film bodies in resolving disputes.
ALSO READ | Film Workers' Body Drops Non-Cooperation Action Against Ranveer Singh After Legal Notice