{"id":23536,"date":"2026-06-11T20:28:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/?p=23536"},"modified":"2026-06-11T20:28:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:28:55","slug":"ashoke-pandit-we-saw-whatsapp-chats-between-ranveer-singh-farhan-akhtar-and-ritesh-sidhwani-before-announcing-non-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/?p=23536","title":{"rendered":"Ashoke Pandit: &#8216;We saw WhatsApp chats between Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani before announcing non-cooperation&#8217; |"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-131668643,imgsize-61612,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/image.jpg\" alt=\"Ashoke Pandit: 'We saw WhatsApp chats between Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani before announcing non-cooperation'\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The controversy surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/ranveer-singh\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Ranveer Singh<\/a>&#8216;s reported exit from Don 3 continues to spark debate within the film industry. In a recent interview, the President of the Indian Film and Television Directors&#8217; Association (IFTDA) and the Chief Advisor for the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) Ashoke Pandit shed light on the federation&#8217;s decision-making process and claimed that extensive documentation was examined before non-cooperation was announced.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>&#8216;Excel told us Rs 45 crore had already been spent&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>According to Pandit, the issue began when the makers of Don 3 approached the federation with a formal complaint.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>\u201cA producer and director came to us and filed a complaint saying they were making Don 3 and that around Rs 45 crore had already been invested in the project. They brought all the documents, expense sheets and details of the signing amounts,\u201d he told Hindi Rush.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>He pointed out that such expenditure is not unusual for a large-scale production.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>\u201cIf you&#8217;re making a Rs 300-crore film, Rs 45 crore in pre-production expenses is normal. The unit was supposed to leave for shooting within three weeks and suddenly there was a walkout.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>&#8216;We sent three letters but got no response&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Pandit said FWICE followed due process before arriving at any decision.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>\u201cAs a rule, whenever a complaint comes to us, we hear both sides. We wrote to the other side because we wanted to know their version as well. We sent one letter, then another and then a third reminder. We did not receive any response.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>According to him, the only communication that eventually arrived questioned the federation&#8217;s jurisdiction over the matter.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>\u201cWe were told that this was not our jurisdiction and that we should not get involved.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>&#8216;Styling was done, tickets were booked&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Pandit claimed the federation examined substantial evidence before taking action.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>\u201cWe saw WhatsApp chats between Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Styling had been completed, costumes had been finalised, tickets had been booked, hotels were arranged and the unit was scheduled to leave within three weeks.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>He added that such preparations indicated that the project had progressed significantly.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>\u201cA producer doesn&#8217;t spend that kind of money without commitments in place.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>&#8216;We never banned Ranveer Singh&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Pandit also addressed reports that the federation had banned the actor.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>\u201cThe media got it wrong. We never used the word \u2018ban\u2019. Neither I nor anyone from the federation said that. We are not a court and we do not have the power to ban anybody.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>He explained that FWICE had only announced non-cooperation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>\u201cWhat we said was that our workers and technicians would not work on projects featuring Ranveer Singh. Non-cooperation and a ban are two completely different things.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>&#8216;If you leave a film, losses should be reimbursed&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Pandit maintained that the federation&#8217;s concern was accountability rather than personalities.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/>\u201cRanveer may have had ten genuine reasons for leaving the film. We are not questioning that. But if a producer has spent crores because of your commitment, then those losses should be reimbursed.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/>Drawing a comparison with other professions, he said, \u201cNo industry can function if someone gets money spent and then suddenly says they&#8217;re no longer interested.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"61\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>&#8216;The issue is bigger than one actor&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>According to Pandit, FWICE&#8217;s concern extends beyond Don 3.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"64\"\/>\u201cToday it&#8217;s an actor. Tomorrow it could be a director, writer or cinematographer. If people begin leaving projects at the last moment, the entire system will suffer.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>He added that the federation is now working with producer bodies to create a standard operating procedure for the industry.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"69\"\/>\u201cWe want an SOP for everyone \u2014 actors, directors, technicians and assistants. Commitments have to mean something.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"71\"\/>Pandit concluded by reiterating that the federation has no personal issue with Ranveer Singh.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"73\"\/>\u201cWe are accountable to producers, technicians, workers and actors alike. This is about discipline and trust, not about targeting any individual.\u201d<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/entertainment\/hindi\/bollywood\/news\/ashoke-pandit-we-saw-whatsapp-chats-between-ranveer-singh-farhan-akhtar-and-ritesh-sidhwani-before-announcing-non-cooperation\/articleshow\/131668639.cms\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The controversy surrounding Ranveer Singh&#8216;s reported exit from Don 3 continues to spark debate within the film industry. In a recent interview, the President of the Indian Film and Television Directors&#8217; Association (IFTDA) and the Chief Advisor for the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) Ashoke Pandit shed light on the federation&#8217;s decision-making process&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}