Ashoke Pandit reveals Aamir Khan tried to resolve Don 3 feud, says Ranveer Singh should reimburse losses

THe radioactive dust betwixt Ranveer Singh and the makers of father 3 grabbed headlines after the Federation of western sandwich bharat Cine Employees (FWICE) issued a non-cooperation directive against the actor. Although the directive was later withdrawn, the controversy continues to spark discussion. Now, FWICE chief adviser Ashoke Pandit has spoken about the matter, claiming that several industry figures, including Aamir Khan, had attempted to resolve the dispute before it reached the federation.Ashoke Pandit talks about Don 3 feudSpeaking to Hindi Rush, Ashoke said that a producer and director approached FWICE with a complaint regarding the project. According to him, the filmmakers claimed they had already invested around ₹45 crore in pre-production and were preparing to begin shooting when the lead actor allegedly exited the film just weeks before production was set to commence.Ashoke further revealed that, as per procedure, FWICE contacted Ranveer to hear his side of the story but received no response. He claimed that the federation sent reminders to the actor for nearly one-and-a-half months without receiving any reply. According to Ashoke, FWICE then reviewed the documents and reports submitted by Ranveer's auditors. He added that on the day the federation was preparing to announce the non-cooperation directive, it received an email stating that two representatives from the actor's team would meet them.He said FWICE viewed the matter seriously and decided to issue a non-cooperation directive. However, he clarified that the federation never "banned" the actor. Ashoke stressed that no individual in the industry—whether an actor, director, assistant director, cinematographer or spot boy—should be able to walk away from a committed project at the last minute without consequences.Ashoke added, "Many people from the industry, including Aamir Khan, had been trying to resolve the issue before it came to us. That also didn’t work. Today it’s Ranveer Singh. Tomorrow it could be someone else. This is what Excel is going through. If it was someone else, they would have gone to hell. They would have sold their house. You may have ten valid reasons for not doing a film. But if money has been spent because you committed to the project, then those losses should be reimbursed."About the Don 3 disputeThe dispute surrounding Don 3 took a significant turn last month when FWICE withdrew its non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh. The decision came after discussions involving the producers and industry bodies.The controversy began after reports surfaced that Ranveer had exited Don 3, the latest instalment in the popular franchise. The actor was announced as the new lead in 2023, succeeding Shah Rukh Khan, who headlined Don and Don 2.Reports of differences between Ranveer, filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani emerged in late 2025. It was reported that the actor stepped away from the project following the success of Dhurandhar, leading to disruptions in the film's production plans.Earlier this year, Farhan reportedly informed FWICE that Ranveer's exit had resulted in losses of around ₹45 crore. The issue eventually reached industry bodies, but the non-cooperation directive was withdrawn on June 3 following intervention from the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association, the Producers Guild of India and the Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA).