Mumbai: At a time when Ranveer Singh was flying with back-to-back blockbuster hits through ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, he has been cut to size by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) for abruptly walking out of Farhan Akhtar’s film ‘Don 3’.
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ (FWICE’s) non-cooperation directive, which translates to a ban, has sparked a massive controversy as the Bollywood industry and legal experts debate about its legitimacy.
Amid discussions about power and accountability, the question being raised is – can film bodies actually ‘ban’ a filmstar?
According to advocate Ameet Naik, Founder and Managing Partner of Naik Naik & Co, the ban is illegal.
Variety India quoted Naik as saying that FWICE’s order is illegal on multiple fronts.
“The order passed by FWICE is illegal in more ways than one. Firstly, you can’t have an order that bans anybody. That’s in restraint of trade. Secondly, this is an abuse of dominant position and a violation of competition laws. Thirdly, the FWICE has no jurisdiction and ultimately it is not a statutory body. So, by all these three counts, according to me, this order is liable to be set aside and must not be sustained. Such orders go to the root of fundamental rights of citizens
and particularly personal liberty, right to livelihood, Article 19 and Article 21. And according to me, FWICE had no business passing such an order,” said Naik.
According to producer and director Sanjay Gupta, Ranveer’s ban makes no sense.
The ‘Kaante’ and ‘Kaabil’ director took to X to question FWICE’s non-cooperation directive, saying it will result in a loss of wages to at least 300 workers on a daily basis.
“When an A-list hero shoots, there are more than 300 workers working on sets. Ban him, and you are not stopping him, but depriving the workers of their livelihood. What sense does it even make?” Gupta wrote.
Industry expert and film producer Girish Johar admitted that he did not expect the situation to escalate this far.
“I did not see this coming. I was under the impression that this would be sorted out amicably. As fellow fraternity members, I think that is the right way to do it,” Girish told IndiaToday.in.
What does a “ban” by a film body actually mean? Can it actually stop an actor from working, or is it a pressure tactic to force negotiations?
Girish said that the reality is far more nuanced.
“When one particular body raises an issue or issues a ban, other producers do take note of it. There may be certain delays or a slowdown in the process,” he explained.
Producers may become cautious for the time being, meetings may get delayed and projects could hit a pause briefly till the situation gets clearer, but Girish pointed out that Bollywood does not function under one central authority.
“There are multiple bodies within the fraternity. It is not the complete authority. It is an important authority and a respected body, and everyone does listen to it,” he said.
Ranveer has responded trough a statement by one of his spokespersons, saying that he does not wish to add to the speculation surrounding the matter and believes such professional disagreements are best handled privately.