Ranveer Singh starts Pralay shoot as producers' body steps in over Don 3 exit row

Ranveer Singh has begun shooting for Pralay in Mumbai while IMPPA moves to address his Don 3 dispute. The intervention comes as FWICE withdraws its directive, but the Rs 45 crore claim remains unresolved.

In Short

• Jay Mehta's zombie thriller has now gone on floors in Mumbai
• IMPPA has intervened to help settle the financial dispute with producers
• Abhay Sinha said Ranveer's father may meet association members this week

After a Dhurandhar year, Ranveer Singh is all set to gear up for his next big challenge. The Bollywood star has started shooting for his next film, Pralay, in Mumbai, but the actor's unresolved Don 3 dispute continues to follow him. As the zombie thriller directed by Jay Mehta goes on floors, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) has stepped in to help resolve the financial dispute between Ranveer and the makers of Don 3.

IMPPA President Abhay Sinha told India Today that Ranveer's father, Jagjit Singh Bhavnani, is expected to meet members of the association this week to discuss the matter. The development comes after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) withdrew its non-cooperation directive against Ranveer, while the Rs 45 crore claim made by Don 3 producers remains unresolved.

Sinha told us that Bhavnani will be meeting members of the association to discuss how things can be ironed out between the actor and the producers. "Since there were a few notices sent to Ranveer for a meeting, his father has decided to meet the association. We will then discuss what needs to be done. Given it was Independence Day and the weekend, we will have the meeting in a couple of days," he said.

He added that they have no objection to Ranveer's father meeting them, as the demand was for personal representation. He also said that they have been in constant touch with Excel Productions over the settlement claimed by the production house following Ranveer's unceremonious exit from Don 3.

The controversy dates back to just a few days before Don 3 was scheduled to go on floors, when Ranveer's exit from the project left producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani staring at a substantial financial setback. The producers, through Excel Entertainment, have claimed damages of around Rs 45 crore from the actor, a figure that has since become the centre of the dispute between the two sides. The matter eventually escalated, with FWICE issuing a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer. The directive was later withdrawn, but the underlying financial dispute remains unresolved. IMPPA is now examining the claims and trying to facilitate a resolution between the two sides.

FWICE had been at the forefront of the controversy, issuing the non-cooperation directive against the actor in May. However, the federation withdrew the directive in June following discussions with IMPPA, the Producers Guild of India and CINTAA. The federation's president told India Today that Ranveer and his lawyers had tried to distance FWICE from the matter, stating that it was not within its jurisdiction. However, as the body representing workers who lost work after Don 3 was put on the back burner, the federation had stood by the producers and shared its documents and investigation report with IMPPA.

"We have all the documents and the investigation report, and we have shared the same with IMPPA. We are working for the industry and would want everything to be resolved smoothly. Once Ranveer's father meets the association, we will be able to understand the next steps," Tiwari said.

With Pralay now going on floor, Ranveer is moving ahead with his work even as the Don 3 dispute remains unresolved. The non-cooperation directive is no longer in place, but the Rs 45 crore claim continues to hang over the actor, with the upcoming meeting between his father and IMPPA expected to shed more light on how the two sides plan to settle the matter.

- Ends