The Federation of Western India Film Workers’ (FWICE) non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh has sent shockwaves through the Hindi film industry, raising urgent questions about the fate of several high-profile projects in the actor’s profession. Posted on May 25th, following a complaint from producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani Singh’s sudden exit from ‘Don 3’ which allegedly resulted in huge financial losses. The directorial casts a long shadow over Singh’s next slate, the ambitious zombie thriller ‘Pralay’ and Aditya DharAn ambitious historical epic about ‘Chandragupta Maurya’.
What will happen to Ranveer Singh’s ‘Pralay’ amid ‘Don 3’ litigation?
The film with the biggest risk is ‘Pralay’, the director Jai Mehta and is scheduled to go on floors in August. The film is expected to involve nearly 500 technicians and crew members, including action, lighting, costume, make-up, art direction and spot crews from all departments.With 34 vendor associations operating under the FWICE umbrella, the non-cooperation directive has the potential to seriously disrupt the film’s production schedule. According to a Mid-Day report, a person close to the production pushed back on the effectiveness of the directive, arguing that it could harm daily wage workers more than the actors themselves.He said, “In the Indian film industry, where more than 70 percent of daily wage earners are out of work because not many films are being made, shouldn’t FWICE be allowed to work instead of taking away opportunities with this directive?”The report added: “As for ‘Pralay’, in the worst-case scenario, Ranveer can take the cast and crew and shoot the film anywhere in India. While the FWICE stand applies to all its members, it cannot legally allow non-members to work in the union.”
FWICE stands firm that the directive is “effective”.
FWICE Chief Counsel Ashoke Pandit, however, is confident that the directive carries real weight and remains open to an amicable resolution. He said: “The FWICE directive is effective because our federation has 34 vendor associations under it. If they don’t have salesmen, workers and technicians, who will they shoot with? People underestimate the strength of the federation. The situation can be resolved if everyone sits together and resolves it amicably.“
Producers can be approached Competition Commission of India
The report stated that the producers of Singh’s upcoming projects are considering approaching the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against the FWICE directive. There is precedent, in a 2017 case filed by filmmaker Vipul A Shah, the CCI had held that awarding non-directive partnerships, preventing producers from hiring non-members, halting shoots and curtailing the provision of services was anti-competitive conduct under the Competition Act.A producer associated with one of Singh’s upcoming films said on condition of anonymity, “If this situation escalates further, the producers may collectively approach the board for intervention.”
Other movies from Ranveer Singh’s channel
Beyond ‘Pralay’, Singh is also attached to the project ‘Chandragupta Maurya’, which will be directed by Aditya Dhar and bankrolled by Jio Studios. He is also said to be in talks with YRF boss Aditya Chopra for an unannounced project. How the dispute between FWICE plays out in the coming days will be crucial in determining whether these films stay on track or face further delays.
