Don 3 Row: Ranveer Singh Calls Farhan Akhtar's Excel Unprofessional, Actor's Exit Triggers Rs 40 Crore Dispute

Actor Ranveer Singh was supposed to star in Farhan Akhtar's highly anticipated film, Don 3. The film was first announced in 2023 with Singh's first-look reveal. However, Singh exited the project earlier this year, resulting in an alleged fallout. Reports suggested that Don 3 has been stalled after Ranveer's exit following Dhurandhar's success. There have been reports that Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production company, Excel Entertainment, allegedly demanded Rs 40 crore in damages from Ranveer for leaving the project.

Ranveer Singh calls out Excel Entertainment for unprofessionalism

A report in Bollywood Hungama states that the matter worsened so much that the Producers Guild of India had to step in. “From the outset, it was made clear that the intent was not to single out or blame any individual. The discussion revolved around a larger industry issue; what options a filmmaker has after investing substantial money in a film’s pre-production when the principal actor exits the project. The stakeholders also examined the issue from the actor’s point of view and deliberated on safeguards producers can put in place to prevent such situations in the future,” a source claiming to be a producer informed the portal.

The source added that Ranveer blamed Excel Entertainment for "unprofessionalism and not being serious about taking Don 3 on floors." The actor stated that Farhan never had a bound script in place, and Ranveer prefers to work only with fully developed material.

“Ranveer also pointed out that Farhan was never open to feedback on the script and had issues incorporating certain subplots. He further alleged that Excel was exploring the possibility of getting Hrithik Roshan on board and only re-approached him after the success of Dhurandhar, to capitalise on his momentum,” the source added.

Farhan Akhtar seeks Rs 40 crore from Ranveer Singh

Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani presented their version at the meeting. “Farhan maintained that Ranveer never flagged any script issues. In fact, he was enthusiastic about portraying the third generation of Don after Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. He claimed the script was shared at regular intervals and approved by Ranveer at every stage,” the source said.

They claimed to have incurred losses of approximately Rs 40 crore and are now seeking reimbursement.

"Farhan has also urged the Guild to form a resolution against the unreasonable demands of Ranveer and other actors. Ranveer, on the other hand, is upset with how casually a potential cash cow like Don was treated by the stakeholders, and left the project due to the sheer incompetence of the banner to deal with a mega-film like Don 3. If there were issues even before it went on floors, he can’t even think of the madness of unprofessionalism on sets from Excel,” the source added.