FWICE directive can spell trouble for Ranveer Singh’s films: experts
FWICE issued a “non-cooperation directive” against Ranveer Singh after his exit from Don 3, warning members not to work with him. Legal experts say such orders lack enforceability but can cause operational disruption. Singh remains silent; producers claim heavy losses
Mumbai: Ranveer Singh is not working on any film at the moment. If he was, he would be in trouble after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) asked its four lakh plus workers not to work with him, a “non-cooperation directive” that could lead to serious trouble for his films.
Though such an order cannot restrain an individual’s freedom to work, it could definitely cause operational issues for his films, said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner, KS Legal and Associates.
“Till the time he doesn’t come and attend a meeting with us, none of our members will work with him. He is not shooting for anything at the moment. If he begins, we will ensure none of us work with him,” said a resolute B N Tiwari, president of FWICE.
FWICE, formed in 1956, is the primary trade union and umbrella organisation for film and television workers in India. Other than taking care of its members, including spot boys, camerapersons, sound engineers and editors, it also steps in to mediate conflict arising between artists, technicians and production studios.
On Monday, the FWICE said its members would not work with Singh following his last minute exit from Farhan Akhtar’s “Don 3”.
According to Chandwani, who specialises in contract law, FWICE’s directive may carry “persuasive and operational weight” within the film industry but its legal enforceability is not absolute.
“From a strict legal standpoint, a ‘non cooperation directive’ cannot automatically override contractual rights or restrain an individual’s freedom to work. Under Indian law, any restriction that effectively prevents a professional from carrying out lawful employment or profession can be challenged as arbitrary or contrary to principles flowing from Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which protects the right to practice any profession or carry on any occupation, trade, or business,” she said.
Courts in India, Chandwani added, have previously taken a cautious view against industry bodies attempting to impose blanket bans or blacklisting measures without due process or contractual backing.
The FWICE’s order came after Akhtar and his partner Ritesh Sidhwani filed a complaint against Singh before the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), which then referred the matter to FWICE for further intervention.
“Don 3”, which was to reboot the successful franchise for a third time with a new face, was yet to begin shooting when he quit. The producers claim that more than Rs 45 crore had already been spent in the pre-production phase.
Despite three notices from FWICE, Singh, fresh from his success in the “Dhurandhar” movies, did not respond, said Tiwari.
He only sent a mail once the FWICE press conference was announced on Monday, arguing that the federation had no jurisdiction over the dispute. In a statement after the press conference, the actor stuck to his previous stance of maintaining silence on the issue while wishing success for the franchise.
Chandwani said a key legal issue would be whether Singh was under a “binding contractual obligation while exiting the project and whether his conduct caused demonstrable financial loss or breach”.
“If the exit was contractually permitted, mutually negotiated, or based on commercial restructuring, then punitive trade action by a workers’ body may struggle to sustain legal scrutiny if challenged before a court,” she said.
In her view, an organisation like FWICE does possess a certain degree of influence as it represents a large network of technicians, workers, and allied professionals engaged in film production. Its directive could “create operational pressure”.
“Such bodies often function through internal industry arrangements, collective bargaining mechanisms, and long standing trade practices… Producers of upcoming projects may become cautious to avoid labour related disruption, delays in shoot permissions, refusal of technical staff participation, or reputational controversies surrounding production.
“In high budget films where daily shooting costs are substantial, even indirect non cooperation from unions can become commercially damaging,” she added.
Tiwari was adamant that there would be no backing down.
“We’ve told the setting department about it… they can’t put a set for a project that Singh will be working on. We are not stopping work but we will not work on the projects that he is part of.” Tiwari referred to a similar order last year against actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh for working with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in the Punjabi movie “Sardaar Ji 3”.
In June, FWICE issued a “non cooperation directive” when the trailer of the movie was released and asked production banner T-Series to drop the actor from the war drama “Border 2”.
“Actors like Sunny (Deol) requested us to allow him (Dosanjh) to work on ‘Border 2’ because the work was underway. It must be noted that we didn’t allow the release of Diljit’s movie, ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ in India. The Federation was upset because Diljit worked with a Pakistani actor and hence we had taken action against his film,” Tiwari said.
Asked about why the union didn’t intervene in the dispute between Paresh Rawal and the team of “Hera Pheri 3” last year when the senior actor abruptly announced his exit from the film, Tiwari said the matter was not referred to the union.
“In case of Paresh Rawal’s exit from ‘Hera Pheri 3’, we didn’t receive any complaint from the producer, so we couldn’t do anything,” Tiwari said.
At the time, the film’s producer Akshay Kumar sued Rawal for Rs 25 crore in damages. However, Rawal later reversed his decision and rejoined the project.
Producer-distributor Girish Johar expressed the hope that the matter is solved amicably.
“It is important to understand the issues or problems of both the parties involved in this matter. It gives certain pause to whatever things Ranveer Singh is planning to do, but I believe he is on a break after ‘Dhurandhar’. Technically, immediately there isn’t anything that he is working on,” Johar, who distributed “Delhi 6” and “Kaminey”, said.
At an event on Tuesday, actor Manoj Bajpayee also reacted to the matter, expressing hope that it would be settled soon.
“All the people who are in this industry, they are only reading it on social media and don’t have the detailed information about it. But all we can say as colleagues is that we hope that the matter is sorted out soon,” Bajpayee said.
