Soon after the success of Dhurandhar in December, it was reported that lead actor Ranveer Singh has exited Farhan Akhtar’s Don 3 due to creative differences. Yesterday, buzz suggested that Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production company Excel Entertainment are now seeking compensation of ₹40 crore from Ranveer. This amount was apparently spent on the pre-production of the project. The involved parties reportedly sat down for two meetings mediated by the Producers Guild of India. What happened behind the closed door meetings, where Farhan and his team allegedly locked horns with Ranveer, has now been revealed.
According to a new report shared by Bollywood Hungama, the first meeting took place nearly a week ago where key industry stakeholders examined the issue from both ends. Things escalated last weekend when a second, more detailed meeting was organised. A source, claiming to be a producer present at the meeting, was quoted saying, “Ranveer blamed Excel Entertainment for unprofessionalism and not being serious about taking Don 3 on floors. He stated that Farhan Akhtar never had a bound script in place and that, as an actor, he 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.” For the uninitiated, Hrithik Roshan played an important cameo in Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra’s Don 2 (2011).
The source further claimed, “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.”
Farhan and Ritesh reportedly hope to get their losses reimbursed and have requested a resolution against unreasonable demands of actors. Ranveer, on the other hand, reportedly left the project to save his sanity and is upset about how a potential hit such as Don 3 was treated by makers. It was also apparently claimed that Farhan allegedly prioritised other projects and his acting career over Don 3, leaving the actor to ‘endure’ three years of indecision.
Let’s now wait for an update or a confirmation from the parties involved. Meanwhile, Ranveer is currently gearing up for Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which is slated to release on March 19.
