3 minutes of readingNew DelhiFebruary 9, 2026 07:21 pm IST
Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment has reportedly demanded Rs 40 crore in damages from Ranveer Singh, following the actor’s alleged exit from the much-awaited project. don 3 in December. The fallout between the two is said to have started after Ranveer backed out of the film, leading the production house to cite significant financial losses.
Excel Entertainment has reportedly requested compensation for sunk development costs, along with delays related to scheduling, planning, and other associated commitments. A letter seen by Variety India reportedly claims that the production house has been forced to lay off several departments, asking heads of departments (HODs) to look for work outside the project.
Citing these losses, Farhan Akhtar’s team believes that Ranveer Singh should compensate the company for the damages suffered.
A source told Variety: “Ranveer claims he abandoned the project because he was dissatisfied with the script. He repeatedly requested changes and was dissatisfied with the final draft. Excel, on the other hand, maintains that he moved forward with pre-production only after Singh gave his approval.”
The report further claims that Ranveer Singh and Excel Entertainment held a two-hour meeting on Friday, which reportedly did not yield any resolution. Both sides are said to have gone back and forth on accountability and financial responsibility, but no concrete results have emerged.
With the dispute escalating, the Producers Guild of India has stepped in to mediate, attempting to find common ground and prevent the matter from escalating further.
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The issue has sparked widespread discussion on social media, particularly on Reddit, where many users appeared to side with Ranveer Singh. One user wrote: “If you don’t have anything written about Ranveer Singh, you have no case.” Another commented, “If Ranveer accepted a signing amount, he should return only that amount, deducting the time he spent on the teaser. Apart from that, why would he pay anything more? He backed out before the filming schedule was ready.”
Another user questioned the magnitude of the alleged losses and wrote, “40 million rupees is a huge amount, even for big companies.”budget cinematographic standards. Pre-production typically involves script development, casting, location scouting, crew hiring, budgeting, storyboarding, and production design. Spending Rs 40 crore at this point seems excessive. “How did they get into such a situation?”
Some users even accused Excel Entertainment of trying to pressure the actor. “Excel has had several financially underperforming films in recent years. They are blaming Ranveer Singh after he abandoned the repeatedly delayed Don 3, possibly to force him to come back or extract money under the guise of contractual losses,” reads one comment.
Earlier, several reports had suggested that Don 3 was put on the back burner after the makers couldn’t find a suitable replacement for Ranveer Singh. The film was formally announced by Farhan Akhtar in 2023 with a special teaser featuring Ranveer. However, the film never materialized.
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As of now, neither Ranveer Singh nor Excel Entertainment have issued an official statement in this regard.