New Delhi: A story currently making the rounds of Bollywood's corridors has sent ripples through the entire film industry. The clash between superstar Ranveer Singh and director Farhan Akhtar over the film Don 3 has now spilled completely into the open. The matter did not stay confined to mere conversation—it travelled from a legal notice all the way to the doorstep of the Film Federation.
Meanwhile, the whole episode has taken a fresh and significant turn. Ashok Pandit, the chief advisor of the Film Federation, made a startling disclosure, revealing that Aamir Khan himself had stepped in to calm the dispute.
In an interview, Ashok Pandit said that even before the matter reached the Federation, several big names in Bollywood had made every effort to settle it among themselves. To put an end to the friction, superstar Aamir Khan personally came forward. He tried his best to patch things up between Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar and to defuse the situation, but unfortunately Aamir Khan's mediation too came to nothing, and no understanding could be reached between the two. Sharing his view on this, Ashok Pandit said that today it is Ranveer Singh, tomorrow it could be some other actor. Whatever is happening with the production house Excel Entertainment is completely wrong. He added that had a small-time producer been in Excel's place, that producer would have been ruined by now and might have had to sell off his very house.
Farhan Akhtar's blunt claim is that Ranveer Singh's last-minute exit from the film inflicted heavy financial damage on him and his company. According to reports that have surfaced, Farhan Akhtar's company Excel Entertainment has demanded that Ranveer Singh pay compensation of Rs 45 crore for the massive loss. On this point, Ashok Pandit said that any artist may have 10 valid reasons for not doing a film, but once you have said yes to a project and the producer's money has begun to be spent, making good that loss becomes your responsibility. No matter how big a star someone may be, they simply cannot be allowed to walk away from a project at the last moment in this manner.
Earlier, there had been heated speculation on social media and in media circles that Bhaijaan, that is Salman Khan, had also intervened in the matter. Since Salman Khan shares a very old and close bond with the Akhtar family, it was being said that he had personally spoken to Farhan and Ranveer and asked them to settle the issue. However, reliable reports that emerged later flatly dismissed all these claims and clarified that they were nothing but rumours and that Salman Khan had no connection whatsoever with this dispute.
Why Did the Paths of Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar Part?
When the news first broke, everyone assumed it was just a routine casting change—that only an actor had been swapped out of the film. But gradually, things behind the scenes began to sour. According to reports, Ranveer Singh and the film's makers were unable to reach agreement over the story and certain key aspects. Several media reports also claimed that Ranveer Singh was quite frustrated with the repeated delays in the film's work and the final script not being ready, after which he took the big decision to part ways with the film.
The result was that a matter which could have been resolved by sitting down together has now turned into a legal tangle. However, amid this entire controversy, one relieving development is that the non-cooperation directive the Federation had issued against Ranveer Singh has now been withdrawn. But the whole industry's eyes are now fixed on when and how this major rift between Farhan and Ranveer will finally come to an end.
