Don 3 Controversy: CINTAA Head Poonam Dhillon Calls Ranveer Singh 'Role Model;' FWICE President REACTS

The

controversy around Ranveer Singh's supposed 'ban' after his exit from Don 3 has reached Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA). After the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) announced a non-cooperation directive against the actor, fresh comments from Poonam Dhillon, president of CINTAA, have given the discussions a new turn. While Poonam questioned why CINTAA was allegedly kept out of discussions regarding the issue, FWICE president BN Tiwari has now responded to her remarks, clarifying the federation’s position and insisting that the intention was not to ban Ranveer Singh but to resolve the matter through dialogue.

Poonam Dhillon calls 'banning' a very strong word

Now, CINTAA president Poonam Dhillon has shared her views on the controversy, revealing that the association was not informed about the dispute despite Ranveer Singh being one of its members. Speaking to HTCity, Poonam said she did not want to offer an uninformed opinion because she was unaware of the complete details of the matter. However, she expressed disappointment over the fact that FWICE allegedly did not take CINTAA into confidence before issuing its directive.

According to Poonam, CINTAA could have attempted to mediate and conduct more research into the issue if they had been informed earlier. Poonam also questioned the term 'banning' and described it as a very strong term to use against an actor. She referred to Ranveer as a hardworking individual and a 'role model' who achieved success through talent and dedication. According to her, CINTAA only learned about the matter through media reports, which she suggested was not the ideal way to handle such situations. In an earlier interaction with Variety India, Poonam admitted that the entire situation felt strange because neither side officially informed the association despite the dispute involving one of its members.

FWICE president responds

Responding to Poonam Dhillon’s statements, FWICE president BN Tiwari clarified in a chat with HTCity that he had, in fact, written to her asking if she could mediate and help resolve the matter if she shares a good rapport with Ranveer Singh. Tiwari, however, added that the issue technically did not fall under her department. He explained that FWICE had received requests from the directors’ association as well as filmmaker Ashoke Pandit to support Farhan Akhtar in his capacity as a filmmaker.

Defending the federation’s handling of the matter, Tiwari said it would not have been practical to contact every association individually for meetings. He also claimed that he attempted to call Poonam twice after her public remarks but alleged that she did not respond to his calls. According to Tiwari, FWICE is only interested in solving the issue and does not view the situation as an ego battle. He also clarified that the federation’s statement was not meant to permanently ban Ranveer Singh. "All we said is we will not work with Ranveer till he shares his version of the case," Tiwari stated. He also invited anyone willing to mediate or help settle the matter to come forward.The controversy began after Ranveer Singh allegedly exited Don 3 just weeks before the film was expected to go on floors. According to reports, the move caused significant financial losses to the producers and production team associated with the project, which is being directed and produced by Farhan Akhtar. Soon after, FWICE issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh on May 25, 2026. The federation announced that its members would not work with the actor until the issue was resolved and his side of the story was addressed. Reportedly, Ranveer had even offered to pay Rs 10 Crore upfront and then Rs 20 crore discount in his future projects with Farhan Akhtar's production House, but the latter did not accept it.