Ranveer Singh’s Father Approaches IMPPA as Don 3 Financial Dispute Enters Fresh Phase

THE CELEBRITY HOUR

The long-running dispute surrounding Ranveer Singh’s departure from Don 3 has moved into another round of industry-level discussions, with the actor’s father, Jagjit Singh Bhavnani, now presenting his side before the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA).

Bhavnani met representatives of the producers’ body on Tuesday and submitted a plea concerning the financial claim made by Excel Entertainment, according to a report by India Today published on August 20. The publication reported that IMPPA’s legal team will examine documents and supporting material before determining how the matter should proceed.

IMPPA president Abhay Sinha also confirmed to the publication that the meeting had taken place and that the association would consider the submission before taking its next step.

The development is significant because the dispute is no longer simply about Ranveer’s association with the film. At its centre is a substantial financial claim connected to expenditure allegedly incurred while Don 3 was being prepared for production.

Why the reported ₹45 crore figure needs context

Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, the producers behind Excel Entertainment, have claimed that more than ₹45 crore had already been spent on Don 3 during pre-production before Ranveer’s departure.

That figure should not, however, be treated as a legally established debt owed by the actor. It represents the producers’ claimed pre-production expenditure and forms part of the unresolved dispute.

The ₹45 crore figure was previously placed before the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). PTI reported in June that the producers claimed the amount had already been spent while the film was still in development and had yet to begin shooting.

India Today now reports that Excel Entertainment is seeking around ₹45 crore in damages from Ranveer and that Bhavnani’s submission to IMPPA challenges that claim.

No final determination establishing Ranveer’s liability for the amount has been publicly announced.

Ranveer Singh was officially introduced as the new Don in 2023

Whatever the outcome of the current dispute, Ranveer’s connection to Don 3 was once very much official.

Excel Entertainment formally introduced him as the new face of the franchise in August 2023 through an announcement video released by the studio’s verified Excel Movies channel. The announcement credited Ranveer as the star, Farhan Akhtar as writer-director and Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani as producers.

The casting represented a major transition for the franchise. Shah Rukh Khan had played the title character in Farhan’s Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011), while Ranveer was positioned to take the series into a new era.

The third instalment subsequently remained in development, but its production did not begin with Ranveer.

How the disagreement reached industry bodies

The matter became significantly more serious in 2026.

According to PTI, Farhan and Ritesh had taken their complaint to the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), which referred the issue to FWICE. On May 25, FWICE issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer.

That action did not remain in force for long.

On June 3, FWICE announced that it was withdrawing the directive following intervention from IMPPA, the Producers Guild of India and the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA). FWICE president BN Tiwari said at the time that the intention was for the parties and industry organisations to sit together and work towards an appropriate solution.

Ranveer’s spokesperson had also maintained a restrained public position during the controversy, saying the actor preferred professional disagreements and personal equations to be dealt with privately and respectfully.

The withdrawal of the FWICE directive did not settle the underlying financial disagreement. That distinction is important: Ranveer is no longer subject to that particular non-cooperation action, but the dispute over the producers’ claimed losses remains unresolved.

What happens after Jagjit Singh Bhavnani’s submission?

For now, the matter appears to have shifted from public confrontation towards examination of the competing claims.

India Today reports that IMPPA’s legal team is expected to review the documents and evidence placed before it before deciding on a possible resolution.

There has been no publicly announced final ruling from IMPPA establishing that Ranveer must pay the reported ₹45 crore, nor has a settlement between the actor and Excel Entertainment been announced.

Until such an outcome emerges, the safest description is that the amount remains a disputed financial claim, rather than a confirmed liability.

The larger creative future of Don 3 also remains a separate question. While Ranveer was officially announced for the film in 2023, the project did not proceed to filming with him, and the current industry dispute concerns the consequences of that breakdown rather than a newly announced casting or production plan.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The latest development changes the tone of the Don 3 controversy more than it changes its outcome. Earlier phases of the dispute were dominated by the FWICE non-cooperation directive and the immediate question of whether industry workers would collaborate with Ranveer. With that directive withdrawn, attention has returned to the more fundamental issue: whether Excel Entertainment’s claimed losses can be attributed to Ranveer’s departure and, if so, what financial responsibility follows.

That distinction matters when reporting the ₹45 crore figure. It may be tempting to describe it as money Ranveer “owes” the producers, but the publicly available information does not establish that. The amount remains part of Excel Entertainment’s claim, and IMPPA’s review of the submissions from the parties is precisely why the dispute cannot yet be presented as settled.

For Don 3 itself, the episode illustrates how a major film can become financially complicated long before principal photography begins. A star announcement, promotional material and extensive preparation can create significant commitments even before cameras roll. What IMPPA does next will therefore be worth watching not merely as a celebrity disagreement, but as an industry dispute over how such pre-production commitments should be handled when a major project changes course.