Producers Guild of India condemns cases of talents reneging their commitments

Mumbai, Jun 3 (PTI) The Producers Guild of India on Wednesday called out growing instances of talent, directors and technicians reneging their contracts with producers at the last minute.

Though the letter did not mention Ranveer Singh or Akshaye Khanna, who have been accused of dropping out of “Don 3” and “Drishyam 3”, respectively, at the last minute, the PGI said they have received formal complaints from the film’s producers Excel Entertainment Private Limited and Panorama Studios International Limited.

“No member of the industry should indulge in such behaviour that has, in these cases, led to substantial financial loss to our member producers as well as to other verticals in the industry.

“Such actions by any industry member have serious and

far-reaching consequences and undermine the spirit of trust, professionalism, and mutual respect on which the film industry is built,” the guild said in a statement.

The PGI’s statement came on the day the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) withdrew its non-cooperation directive against Singh over his exit from “Don 3”.

The producers’ body said such instances lead to significant reputational damage, adverse impact on credibility and brand value of the films concerned and jeopardised the livelihoods of hundreds of technicians and crew members who depend on these projects.

“We would also like to state in no uncertain terms that the Guild always stands for a free and fair business environment without encouraging any encumbrances or disruptions to the process of content production.

“Any position to the contrary is not ethical and harms the collaborative spirit of our film making community. We urge all parties to resolve their disputes amicably and we will strive to protect the fraternity’s interests,” the guild further stated.

Actor-producer Farhan Akhtar, who owns the banner Excel with Ritesh Sidhwani, has accused Singh of walking out of his movie “Don 3”.

The film, a reboot of the popular franchise, has reportedly been in development for three years and was yet to begin shooting. The producers have claimed that over Rs 45 crore had already been spent on pre-production.

The matter reached the FWICE, which issued a non-cooperative directive against Singh and asked its over four lakh members to not work with the actor.

The organisation withdrew the order after receiving a legal notice from the actor on Tuesday evening.

Earlier this year, Khanna, who co-starred with Singh in the blockbuster spy film “Dhurandhar”, walked out of “Drishyam 3”, headlined by Ajay Devgn. The makers had then roped in actor Jaideep Ahlawat as Khanna’s replacement. PTI BK BK RB RB