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The continued controversy surrounding Ranveer Singh and Don 3 has taken one other turn, with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) responding to comments made by filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. While FWICE recently clarified that it has not called for a ban on Ranveer Singh, filmmaker and federation representative Ashoke Pandit strongly reacted to Varma’s criticism of the organization and demanded an apology from the director.
FWICE’s Ashoke Pandit claims Ram Gopal Varma owes over Rs.1.25 crore to technicians since 2019; asks him to apologize to them
Addressing the media, Pandit began by acknowledging Varma’s contribution to Indian cinema before raising concerns over his remarks against the federation. “Today, I will discuss a person who’s considered one of the good filmmakers of this country. We do respect to him and a few of us are even his fans regarding his technical. Ram Gopal Verma had used abusive language and a ban was called out for him. Today, we are able to let you know that he owes greater than a crore, 25 lakhs, to the technicians and to the employees.”
Pandit maintained that the federation was not attempting to tarnish Varma’s fame but desired to remind him of pending dues that, in keeping with FWICE, remain unpaid. “We are usually not attempting to demean his image or break his fame or take revenge like he does. But we are only reminding him because I’m sure he doesn’t remember. In 2017, he made a movie called Telugu Feature named Officer. Once we met, talked and tried to get technicians and staff to come back to our office. We tried many things. After that, in 2019, Ram Gopal Verma wrote a letter to the federation.”
The FWICE representative then proceeded to read out a letter allegedly written and signed by Varma in 2019 regarding outstanding payments linked to the film Officer, starring Nagarjuna. Based on Pandit, the letter acknowledged pending dues to federation members, technicians, and vendors and requested additional time to clear the payments. After reading the contents of the letter, Pandit directly addressed the filmmaker, claiming that the promised payments had still not been made.
“I would really like to say to Mr. Ramu, with due respect, today is 2026 and this money has not come to us. 2019, 2026, not a single money has come back to the employees and technicians and he expects us to be banned. We take strict objection on Mr. Ramu. He should apologise to the federation through the use of mistaken words of banning and all and abusing us who work day in and day trip to see to it that greater than 4 and a half lakh staff, technicians are there working for you and completing the film.”
He further urged Varma to reflect on the matter while continuing his filmmaking journey. “And I’m sure he’ll understand this and while he’s shooting again, after listening to this, he should keep this stuff in mind. We consider in respecting one another”.
The remarks come amid heightened discussions involving FWICE, the Don 3 controversy, and up to date social media exchanges surrounding the federation’s role in industry matters. As the talk continues, Pandit’s statements have brought renewed attention to the alleged unresolved payment dispute dating back to 2019.
Also Read: BREAKING: FWICE withdraws non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh; also adds, “Na isme kisi ki jeet hai, na kisi ki haar hai…we’ve got all celebrated Ranveer’s stardom, want him to grow to be a BIGGER star”
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