Don 3 Exit to Cost Ranveer Singh £3.2 million?

Farhan Akhtar’s production house, Excel Entertainment, is reportedly seeking Rs. 40 Crore (£3.2 million) from Ranveer Singh after he exited Don 3.

Ranveer was announced as the new Don in 2023 after Shah Rukh Khan decided against reprising the role.

A teaser featured Ranveer in the role and the film was expected to go on floors in January 2026.

However, Ranveer stepped away from the project to focus on other films, resulting in Don 3 being indefinitely delayed.

Excel Entertainment is now seeking compensation, having spent heavily on script development, scheduling and location planning.

According to Bollywood Hungama, there were two meetings.

The first meeting focused on understanding the circumstances surrounding Ranveer Singh’s exit and the broader implications for producers.

Things escalated when a second meeting was held on February 7, with members of the Producers Guild of India present.

Aamir Khan, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Ramesh Taurani and Kumar Taurani were present, along with other key industry stakeholders.

Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani represented Excel Entertainment and formally presented their concerns to the Guild.

A source told Bollywood Hungama: “From the outset, it was made clear that the intent was not to single out or blame any individual.

“The discussion revolved around a larger industry issue: what options a filmmaker has after investing substantial money in a film’s pre-production when the principal actor exits the project.

“The stakeholders also examined the issue from the actor’s point of view and deliberated on safeguards producers can put in place to prevent such situations in the future.”

On the second meeting, a producer said: “Ranveer blamed Excel Entertainment for unprofessionalism and not being serious about taking Don 3 on floors.

“He stated that Farhan Akhtar never had a bound script in place and that, as an actor, he prefers to work only with fully developed material.

“Ranveer also pointed out that Farhan was never open to feedback on the script and had issues incorporating certain subplots.

“He further alleged that Excel was exploring the possibility of getting Hrithik Roshan on board and only re-approached him after the success of Dhurandhar, to capitalise on his momentum.”

According to Ranveer Singh’s representatives, the actor endured nearly three years of indecision while Farhan Akhtar focused on multiple commitments, including his acting career.

Allegedly, Don 3 remained creatively underdeveloped throughout this period.

Ranveer reportedly felt the script did not match the stature promised to him at the time of signing.

Soon after his version of events was presented, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani responded with their account, claiming Ranveer never raised any script issues.

Excel Entertainment informed the Guild that Ranveer Singh’s exit resulted in losses of approximately Rs. 40 Crore.

Farhan and Ritesh are said to be firm on seeking reimbursement and have urged producers’ bodies to frame resolutions against what they describe as unreasonable star demands.

Ranveer Singh, meanwhile, is said to be deeply upset with how Don 3 was handled.

The source added:

“It’s a war between the two parties, as Farhan and Ritesh are adamant to get their losses reimbursed by Ritesh Sidhwani.”

“They have also urged the Guild to form a resolution against the unreasonable demands of Ranveer and other actors.

“Ranveer, on the other hand, is upset with how casually a potential cash cow like Don was treated by the stakeholders, and left the project due to the sheer incompetence of the banner to deal with a mega-film like Don 3.

“If there were issues even before it went on floors, he can’t even think of the madness of unprofessionalism on sets from Excel.

“He left the film for his own sanity. If there were problems even before the film went on floors, he couldn’t imagine the level of unprofessionalism once shooting began.

“He chose his sanity over a compromised project.”