5 min readNew DelhiFeb 11, 2026 04:07 PM IST
- Ranveer Singh has responded to Farhan Akhtar’s Rs 40 crore demand for exiting Don 3, saying he prepared for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra for one year but director moved on to Love & War.
- Ranveer Singh says it is common in Bollywood for films to not materialise even after long waiting periods. In these cases, no one owes the other party any money.
- Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment are currently at war as the latter has demanded Rs 40 crore from the former for abandoning Don 3.
Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar kept the audience waiting for a few years for Don 3, until things went awry and the collaboration fell apart. Farhan’s Excel Entertainment is now allegedly demanding Rs 40 crore from the Dhurandhar actor in damages as they claim that the actor left the project after the producers had already invested the aforementioned amount in the pre-production. To resolve the matter between the two parties, the Producers Guild of India held a closed door meeting where points of view of both parties were presented.
As per a new report, Ranveer claimed in this meeting that he is not liable to any damages as he never took a penny from the producers. He also brought up another similar situation with Sanjay Leela Bhansali where the actor spent a year preparing for Baiju Bawra, but the filmmaker shelved the project, but he did not demand any compensation from Bhansali.
Ranveer Singh spent a year on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra, film was shelved
The report by Bollywood Hungama quotes a source from the meeting which states that Ranveer “argued that he was not liable to pay as he had not taken a single paisa from the producers. Hence, paying back such a hefty amount was out of the question.” He then brought up Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra, which was supposed to star Ranveer, and the actor spent one year preparing for the role, whilst also rejecting many other offers that came to him during this time. But, Bhansali shelved the film and instead started working on Love & War starring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.
“Ranveer revealed that he was not compensated for the year he spent preparing for the role. He further argued that it’s the nature of the business – at times, films don’t get made or are relegated to the backburner for various reasons and no one gets compensated for it,” the report said.
Ranveer says Shah Rukh Khan was approached for Don 3
In the same report, it is also mentioned that Ranveer brought up Shah Rukh Khan, who, as per him, was approached for Don 3, and if he had said yes to the project, Ranveer would have gotten replaced in an instant. Shah Rukh has already played Don twice in Farhan’s films. “He argued that had SRK agreed, he would have been replaced, without any compensation. Hence, he felt justified in not being liable to pay the producers Rs 40 crore,” the report said.
Ranveer Singh vs Excel Entertainment; what has happened so far
Previously, a report by the same publication said that Ranveer “blamed Excel Entertainment for unprofessionalism and not being serious about taking Don 3 on floors.” He also claimed that Farhan did not have a bound script, and that the director was “never open to feedback”. Ranveer also claimed that the producers had explored the possibility of approaching Hrithik Roshan for the role and re-approached him only after Dhurandhar became a massive blockbuster.
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In the same meeting Farhan insisted that Ranveer “never flagged any script issues” but was in fact enthusiastic about starring in a franchise that has previously belonged to Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. The subject came to light a few days ago after Variety India reported that Excel Entertainment was demanding Rs 40 crore from the actor for leaving the project. But the actor is sticking to the fact that he was never paid for the project and left it way before the film went on floors.
Ranveer Singh has had major successes with Excel Entertainment
Ranveer has previously worked with Excel Entertainment in films like Gully Boy, Dil Dhadakne Do. He will next be seen in Dhurandhar The Revenge, which is set to release on March 19.
Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, in the meanwhile, recently sold a 30 percent stake of their company to Universal Music Group for Rs 800 crore. Farhan hasn’t directed a film since 2011’s Don 2. He had announced Don with Ranveer almost two years ago, and also announced Jee Le Zaraa with Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif around five years ago. None of these films went into production.
