Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has criticised the Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ (FWICE) non-cooperation directive against actor Ranveer Singh, saying stars like him create employment for lakhs of cine workers and not industry unions.

FWICE issued the directive against Singh on Monday following his exit from Farhan Akhtar's Don 3, a project that had been in development for three years.

Varma defended the actor in a post on X on Saturday.

“BAN 'FWICE' and not @RanveerOfficial. The so-called 'BAN' will eventually become a BIG FAT JOKE on FWICE. This isn’t industry or worker protection, like they are claiming. It is just a pure performative muscle flexing, by an extremely outdated union system, desperately trying to hold on to their grip... Whether it claims to speak for over 5 lakh or 50 lakh workers,” he wrote.

“FWICE is neither a court of legal justice nor a government-authorised regulatory body, and at best it’s a kangaroo court, which by definition pretends to deliver justice, but in fact it disregards established legal rules, due process, and impartiality,” he further said.

“This will be a massive PR Disaster for FWICE because it is screaming in desperation while at the same time demonstrating its outdatedness... It is stars like @RanveerOfficial, who create employment for those lakhs of FWICE workers and not FWICE. It is only because stars like @RanveerOfficial exist that the industry exists, and also the FWICE exists,” he added.

FWICE has not commented on Varma's remarks.

The development comes after Akhtar and his business partner Ritesh Sidhwani filed a complaint against Singh with the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), which referred the matter to FWICE for further intervention.

Don 3, planned as a reboot of the popular franchise with a new lead actor, had not yet gone on floors. The producers have claimed that more than Rs 45 crore was spent during the pre-production stage.

According to FWICE, multiple notices were sent to Singh but no response was received from the actor.

The film was expected to mark Akhtar's return to directing after 2011's Don 2, which starred Shah Rukh Khan. The original Don, written by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, was released in 1978 and featured Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman.

Media reports said Singh exited Don 3 citing script changes. Sidhwani and Akhtar have alleged that the actor delayed the project several times before formally leaving it in December 2025.