The film industry has been buzzing with discussions after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ (FWICE) decision to issue a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh. The ban came after Farhan Akhtar approached the workers’ body regarding Ranveer’s abrupt exit from Don 3. As fans and industry insiders continue to share their views on social media, Manoj Bajpayee also shared his thoughts on the ongoing situation, expressing his hope for a quick resolution.

When asked how the film industry safeguards an actor’s position during such disputes, Manoj pointed out that there is currently limited clarity about the clash between Ranveer and Farhan’s production house, Excel Entertainment.

He said that most members of the fraternity are getting their information from the internet rather than official channels. He added, “I must tell you one thing, that all the people who are in this industry, they are only reading it on social media and we don’t have the detailed information about it. But all we can say as colleagues or as fellow fraternity members that we hope that the matter is sorted out soon.”

Manoj is not the only notable figure to speak up. Earlier, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta took to X to voice his concerns and question the logic behind banning an actor of Ranveer’s stature. Highlighting how a ban impacts everyday crew members, he wrote, ““When an A List Hero shoots there are more than 300 workers working on sets. Ban him and you are not stopping him but depriving the workers of their livelihood. What sense does it even make???”

The dispute traces back to April, when Farhan approached FWICE, claiming that Ranveer’s sudden departure from Don 3 resulted in monetary losses totalling Rs 45 crore. The project was officially announced by Excel Entertainment in August 2023 with a special teaser introducing Ranveer as the new face of the iconic franchise, a character previously made famous by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

According to FWICE, the non-cooperation directive was finalized on Monday after Ranveer allegedly ignored multiple notices sent by the body. FWICE President Ashoke Pandit held a press conference to explain the organization’s stance and clarify the timeline of events.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, Ashoke Pandit said, “As soon as the complaint reached us, we formally registered it. Subsequently, we issued three notices to Ranveer Singh: one every 10 days, inviting him to engage with us, and three reminders. However, we received absolutely no response. Since we received no response, we collectively decided to convene a press conference to apprise the industry of the decision our Federation has taken. The moment we announced the press conference, we received an email from Mr Singh stating that this matter did not fall within our jurisdiction and that we had no authority to interfere in it. We took note of his stance and decided to proceed accordingly.” 

Ranveer’s team communicated via email that FWICE was not the appropriate forum to resolve contractual disagreements. However, the workers’ body decided to proceed with their directive based on his refusal to engage with their earlier notices. 

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In a shocking turn of events, Tiger Baby Films, the production banner co-founded by filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, has been hit by a major data theft. The incident involves the mysterious disappearance of 66 hard disks from their office premises. The case has sent ripples through the entertainment industry due to the sensitive nature of the data involved.

Breaking her silence on the matter, Zoya confirmed the robbery and expressed her disappointment over the situation. Speaking about the unfortunate incident, she revealed that the theft appears to be the work of someone on the inside. She said, “Yes there has been a robbery in my office, hard disks have been stolen. We filed a complaint and police has made some arrests as well. It’s an internal job, it’s sad to what extent people go to make money.” 

While the theft of such critical infrastructure is a massive blow, Zoya offered a wave of relief for their ongoing and past projects. She clarified that the production house was well-prepared for technical emergencies and had secure copies of their work. She added, “Luckily we have backup files of everything.” 

The alleged theft reportedly came to light on May 21, when employees at the production office were unable to locate several hard disks that were urgently required for ongoing projects. This prompted a detailed internal check of the storage area. During the inspection, staff members allegedly uncovered damaged storage boxes and multiple empty hard disk cases inside the office, confirming their doubts. According to reports, the production company’s inventory originally included a total of 119 hard disks. After the internal audit, 66 of those drives were allegedly found to be missing.

The missing hard drives are not ordinary storage devices. The stolen drives reportedly stored highly sensitive production data, with storage capacities ranging from 16TB to 72TB per disk. Investigators suspect that the missing material may include a massive volume of critical digital assets, such as raw footage, edited scenes, post-production files, archival backups, advertisement campaign content, and unreleased material connected to various films and OTT projects. Some reports further claim that the compromised data may have included content linked to major projects such as Made in Heaven and Ghost Stories.

After the discovery, an official complaint was lodged, and the police registered an FIR. The authorities swung into action and have already arrested two accused individuals in connection with the crime. The accused were later remanded to police custody till May 29.

According to police officials, one of the arrested individuals confessed during the interrogation to stealing several hard disks over the past few months. The accused allegedly admitted to selling the stolen devices in the grey market. The police are continuing their investigation to uncover the full scope of the operation and recover the remaining equipment.

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In a tragic incident, acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Anik Dutta has passed away. He was admitted to a hospital on Wednesday after reportedly falling from the roof of his residence in Kolkata’s Gariahat area and sustaining critical injuries.

Anik was the grandson of Narendra Chandra Dutta, the founder of United Bank of India. He made his directorial debut in 2012 with the Bengali fantasy comedy-horror film Bhooter Bhabishyat, which went on to become a cult favourite for its sharp satire, engaging storytelling and memorable ensemble cast.

Over the years, Dutta carved a distinct space for himself in Bengali cinema with films such as Aschorjo Prodip, Meghnad Badh Rahasya, Borunbabur Bondhu and Aparajito – The Undefeated. His work was often marked by political commentary, social observations and a unique blend of humour and satire. The filmmaker was highly influenced by Satyajit Ray and his style of filmmaking often paid a nod to the maestro.

His last theatrical release, Joto Kando Kolkatatei, hit cinemas in September 2025.

Anik Dutta is survived by his estranged partner Sandhi and their daughter.

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