The ongoing controversy surrounding Ranveer Singh and Don 3 has taken another turn, with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) responding to comments made by filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. While FWICE recently clarified that it has not called for a ban on Ranveer Singh, filmmaker and federation representative Ashoke Pandit strongly reacted to Varma’s criticism of the organization and demanded an apology from the director.
FWICE’s Ashoke Pandit claims Ram Gopal Varma owes over Rs.1.25 crore to technicians since 2019; asks him to apologize to them
Addressing the media, Pandit began by acknowledging Varma’s contribution to Indian cinema before raising concerns over his remarks against the federation. “Today, I’m going to talk about a man who is one of the brilliant filmmakers of this country. We do respect to him and some of us are even his fans regarding his technical. Ram Gopal Verma had used abusive language and a ban was called out for him. Today, we can tell you that he owes more than a crore, 25 lakhs, to the technicians and to the workers.”
Pandit maintained that the federation was not attempting to tarnish Varma’s reputation but wanted to remind him of pending dues that, according to FWICE, remain unpaid. “We are not trying to demean his image or ruin his reputation or take revenge like he does. But we are just reminding him because I am sure he doesn’t remember. In 2017, he made a film called Telugu Feature named Officer. When we met, talked and tried to get technicians and workers to come to our office. We tried many things. After that, in 2019, Ram Gopal Verma wrote a letter to the federation.”
The FWICE representative then proceeded to read out a letter allegedly written and signed by Varma in 2019 regarding outstanding payments linked to the film Officer, starring Nagarjuna. According to Pandit, the letter acknowledged pending dues to federation members, technicians, and vendors and requested additional time to clear the payments. After reading the contents of the letter, Pandit directly addressed the filmmaker, claiming that the promised payments had still not been made.
“I would like to say to Mr. Ramu, with due respect, today is 2026 and this money has not come to us. 2019, 2026, not a single money has come back to the workers and technicians and he expects us to be banned. We take strict objection on Mr. Ramu. He should apologise to the federation by using wrong words of banning and all and abusing us who work day in and day out to see to it that more than four and a half lakh workers, technicians are there working for you and completing the film.”
He further urged Varma to reflect on the matter while continuing his filmmaking journey. “And I am sure he will understand this and while he is shooting again, after listening to this, he should keep these things in mind. We believe in respecting each other”.
The remarks come amid heightened discussions involving FWICE, the Don 3 controversy, and recent social media exchanges surrounding the federation’s role in industry matters. As the debate continues, Pandit’s statements have brought renewed attention to the alleged unresolved payment dispute dating back to 2019.
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