The Real Cost of Stardom: Abhishek Banerjee on the Ranveer-Farhan Don 3 Fallout

The actor speaks out on how high-profile industry disputes leave the most vulnerable workers to pick up the pieces.

The glitz of Bollywood often hides a messy reality, one where a single creative disagreement can ripple through the entire ecosystem of daily-wage earners. When Ranveer Singh exited the highly anticipated Don 3 during its pre-production phase, the resulting professional fallout wasn't just about a change in cast; it allegedly triggered financial losses estimated at Rs 45 crore. This friction between the actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar spilled into the public sphere, leading to a brief, tense non-cooperation directive from the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) against Singh.

While the legal dust has since settled—the union withdrew its directive after Ranveer Singh served them a legal notice—the episode has sparked a conversation that goes beyond contracts and box-office projections. In an ABP Exclusive, actor Abhishek Banerjee weighed in on the Don 3 row, stripping away the celebrity veneer to focus on those standing at the tail end of the production chain.

The view from the bottom

For Banerjee, the controversy isn't merely a headline-grabbing clash between two industry titans. His take is blunt and grounded: "Pista toh hamesha gareeb hi hai" (It’s always the poor who get crushed). He argues that when top-tier projects stall, the immediate impact isn't felt by the stars or the producers, but by the lightmen, spot boys, and junior technicians who rely on consistent shoots to keep their households running.

Drawing parallels to the uncertainty of the pandemic era, Banerjee pointed out that the lower and middle-class workforce in cinema is the first to suffer when sets go dark or projects are indefinitely postponed. When Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar find themselves in a public dispute, the logistical shockwaves effectively pause the livelihoods of hundreds of people whose professional survival depends on the day-to-day momentum of the film industry.

Why it matters

This incident highlights a recurring pattern in Indian cinema: the disconnect between high-stakes corporate accountability and the precarious reality of the gig-based film workforce. In a system where a single exit can lead to a Rs 45 crore loss, the administrative machinery often defaults to drastic measures like non-cooperation directives. While these moves are meant to protect the producers' interests, they often end up halting work entirely, trapping the crew in a state of professional limbo.

Abhishek Banerjee’s intervention serves as a necessary reminder that the industry’s "business" isn't just boardrooms and legal notices; it is a labor-intensive machine. Moving forward, the implication is clear: if the industry wants to avoid further reputational damage and the fallout on its most vulnerable, internal dispute resolution needs to evolve to be faster and less disruptive. When the giants fight, it is time to ensure the ground beneath them doesn't collapse on those who can least afford it.