Ranveer Singh is the Delhi Gymkhana of Bollywood: Shobhaa De on Don 3 row
Shobhaa De has criticised FWICE's non-cooperation directive after Ranveer Singh's exit from Don 3. She described the actor as the "Delhi Gymkhana of Bollywood" and said the row reflects issues of power and control.
Amid the controversy over Ranveer Singh’s abrupt exit from Don 3 and the non-cooperation directive issued by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), author and columnist Shobhaa De has criticised the federation’s actions.
In a video shared on Instagram, she questioned what she described as a growing culture of power and control in the industry and compared the episode with the ongoing Delhi Gymkhana Club dispute. She even referred to Ranveer as the “Delhi Gymkhana of Bollywood.”
De said she saw similarities between the two controversies and argued that both were centred on authority, exclusion and punishment. She also questioned why FWICE had assumed such prominence in a matter involving Ranveer Singh, Excel Entertainment and Farhan Akhtar, adding that the fallout could harm technicians and other workers linked to projects involving the actor.
Comparison with Delhi Gymkhana
Speaking in the video, De said, "I’ve been following the Ranveer Singh thing. I’ve been following the Delhi Gymkhana thing. There’s not that much of a difference. I mean, I’m saying this, and don’t laugh. Ranveer Singh is like the Delhi Gymkhana in many ways of Bollywood. What is the whole thing about? It’s about power."
The columnist described how the whole matter is all about "control, banning, taking away and about teaching lessons to people or institutions."
She also praised the 40-year-old actor for remaining silent amid the controversy and contrasted his approach with the Delhi Gymkhana matter.
Questions over FWICE’s role
De said she did not understand why FWICE was assuming the authority to intervene in the career of a major film star. "Who is FWICE? I think I’ve got that right, because they didn’t register with me. I don’t think they’re all that important, but suddenly they have assumed the kind of importance to say, “Oh, we won’t allow this man, this superstar, the most successful actor in India, to get to the studios and to his work'."she said.
She further criticised the non-cooperation directive, saying it could end up hurting the very people the federation claimed to protect.
De argued that the federation’s actions could backfire, making it unpopular among the very technicians and workers it claims to represent, as many of them could end up losing work despite having no involvement in the dispute.
She further said that if the issue was strictly between Excel Entertainment, Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh, it should have been handled legally through lawyers or court proceedings.
Describing the controversy as “ugly,” Shobhaa De said the matter had escalated far beyond a simple fallout between an actor and a production house. She argued that the issue now reflected a larger power struggle within the industry and criticised the involvement of politics and pressure tactics in entertainment.
She also described the Padmaavat actor as an “iconic movie star” and suggested that the controversy was indirectly affecting everyone associated with Dhurandhar as well. “In Ranveer's case, he is an iconic movie star. He's a phenomenon, and his stupendous success, which has to be credited to his director, Aditya Dhar, and producer of Dhurandhar, seems to be a conspiracy not just against one star - that's Ranveer Singh - but against Dhurandhar or everyone involved in it, in particular the director and producer," she said.
Concluding her remarks, De claimed that Ranveer’s silence had only strengthened his popularity and public image.
The caption accompanying her video read, “Ranveer Singh is the Delhi Gymkhana of Bollywood.....same same but different... Exclusivity instead of inclusivity? Stop behaving like Trump!!! Threats and intimidation???? Won't work. Never have. Regardless who the players are...”
Don 3 row
The dispute surfaced after Ranveer Singh’s exit from Don 3. Reports claimed that Farhan Akhtar and Excel Entertainment sought compensation over alleged pre-production losses estimated at around Rs 40–45 crore. The matter was later taken to the Producers Guild of India, following which Farhan approached FWICE.
The committee issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer on May 25, alleging that the actor did not respond to repeated requests to appear before the federation and discuss the matter. FWICE adviser Ashoke Pandit claimed that the production team had already spent heavily on hotel bookings, overseas travel, location recce and other pre-production arrangements before the actor exited the film.