Amid a raging debate around the Federation of Western India Cine Employees' (FWICE) non-cooperation directive against Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh in India, the actor appeared more focused on football than film industry chatter during his recent trip to Budapest.
A longtime Arsenal supporter, Ranveer was in the Hungarian capital for a major football weekend and later shared his reaction after the North London club lost the UEFA Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30.
Sharing a series of photos from the match, Ranveer wrote on his Instagram Story, "Proud of the boys. Fought like lions! Couldn't get any closer in a game of such fine margins. Congratulations to my Arsenal family on a historic season. And....the best is yet to come!"
Earlier this week, Ranveer had shared a photograph with Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice. Captioned "About last night", the image showed the two enjoying a casual meetup in Budapest.
The photo, featuring an unexpected Bollywood and football crossover, quickly gained traction online, particularly among Arsenal supporters. During his stay in Budapest, Ranveer was also seen interacting with fans.
Back in India, however, the conversation remains focused on Don 3. FWICE recently issued a non-cooperation directive against the actor following reports of his ‘abrupt’ exit from the franchise. According to reports, filmmaker Farhan Akhtar approached the industry body, alleging that the actor's departure had caused significant financial losses to Excel Entertainment.
Ranveer's spokesperson subsequently released a statement saying the actor holds the "highest regard" for the film fraternity and everyone associated with the Don franchise, adding that he believes professional discussions are best handled with "dignity, maturity and mutual respect."
The directive has since drawn criticism from filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who argued that stars like Ranveer generate employment for thousands of cine workers. Veteran actress and CINTAA vice-president Padmini Kolhapure and author Shobhaa De have also come out in support of the actor.
On the work front, Ranveer is expected to star in the zombie adventure movie Pralay, also featuring Kalyani Priyadarshan. The film is slated to begin production in August this year. It is being produced by Hansal Mehta's True Story Films in association with Ranveer Singh's Maa Kasam Films and Applause Entertainment.