CHENNAI: Actor Ranveer Singh has reportedly said he is not liable to pay Rs 40 crore to filmmaker Farhan Akhtar's production house Excel Entertainment for walking out of the film Don 3.
Earlier, Farhan’s team had sought the amount as compensation for abandoning the project after pre-production investments were allegedly made.
At a meeting held to address the dispute, Ranveer is believed to have argued that he is not liable to pay damages because he “did not take a single paisa” from the producers, according to Bollywood Hungama. He brought up the example of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s shelved film Baiju Bawra, for which the actor had spent nearly a year preparing but received no compensation when it was shelved.
Ranveer also noted that Shah Rukh Khan had been approached for Don 3, and had he agreed, Ranveer would have been replaced without any compensation, further justifying his position against paying the Rs 40 crore demand.
The clash between Ranveer and Farhan’s Excel Entertainment centres on the stalled Don 3 project, which was announced in August 2023 with Ranveer Singh in the titular role, following which the production house allegedly demanded Rs 40 crore.
Variety had reported that Singh left the film, citing dissatisfaction with the script, while Excel maintains that pre-production began only after his approval of the final draft. The Rs 40 crore demand reportedly includes sunk pre-production costs and scheduling disruptions. Excel even had to reportedly let go of several departments, the report added.
Ranveer has previously worked with Excel Entertainment on films such as Gully Boy and Dil Dhadakne Do. His next release is Dhurandhar: The Revenge, scheduled for March 19, 2026.