The controversy surrounding Ranveer Singh’s exit from Don 3 appears to be heading towards a resolution, with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) withdrawing its non-cooperation directive against the actor. Speaking about the decision, FWICE president BN Tiwari said the federation never intended to target the actor and only wanted a constructive dialogue on the issue.
“Actually, we thought that once we issued the non-cooperation directive, they would come forward and talk to us. But I feel his team misguided him. Their letter said that we do not come under your jurisdiction. He is an artist and a member of CINTAA, and CINTAA is affiliated with the federation. So we had to take action,” Tiwari tells us.
Adding that FWICE’s intention was never to harm Ranveer’s career. “We never wanted to pull down a superstar. We never wanted to stop him from moving forward. He is a successful actor and we have to think about that too. We have no personal interest in this matter. We work for our workers and technicians,” he says.
According to Tiwari, discussions with industry bodies eventually paved the way for the withdrawal of the directive. “We had meetings with IMPPA and other producer bodies. They told us that this atmosphere was not right and that we should withdraw the non-cooperation directive so that proper discussions could take place. We accepted their suggestion and decided to remove it. We are one family and we want the matter to be resolved amicably,” he shares.
Speaking about the legal notice FWICE has received from Ranveer Singh’s team, he says that FWICE will respond through legal channels. “Everyone has a legal team. They have sent us a notice and our legal team will respond. We will continue to deal with the matter legally. But since we feel the issue is moving towards a solution, we have taken a step back and put our faith in the producer bodies and industry representatives,” he says.
While admitting that he has met Farhan Akhtar and his team, Tiwari says he never got the opportunity to speak directly with Ranveer. “If I had sat with Ranveer, perhaps there would have been no problem. He is busy, but I have no issue with him. I want his happiness, I want his success and I want the film industry to survive,” he says.
Reflecting on his long association with the industry, Tiwari adds, “I have spent 50 years in this industry. I have worked with legends like Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Dara Singh, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. At this stage, I am not looking for anything for myself. I only want the industry to prosper. I have good faith in Ranveer Singh.”