Shobhaa De Senses Ugly Conspiracy Against Ranveer Singh Aditya Dhar Amid Don 3 Dispute Fwice Farhan Akhtar Dhurandhar

The drama surrounding Ranveer Singh’s sudden exit from Don 3 shows no signs of slowing down, with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) tightening its stand against the actor. Now, author and columnist Shobhaa De has claimed that she senses an “ugly conspiracy” brewing against Ranveer and Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar under the veil of the ongoing Don 3 dispute.

On Thursday, Shobhaa took to Instagram to praise Ranveer for the way he has been handling the ongoing dispute. She also claimed that the recent move by the film body appeared to be part of an “ugly conspiracy” targeting not just Ranveer, but also filmmaker Aditya Dhar and the team behind his blockbuster spy-thriller franchise Dhurandhar.

Shobhaa De posted a video about the issue with a caption that read, “Ranveer Singh is the Delhi Gymkhana of Bollywood.....same same but different… Exclusivity instead of inclusivity? Stop behaving like Trump!!! Threats and intimidation???? Won't work. Never have. Regardless who the players are…”

In the video, Shobhaa is seen drawing parallels between Ranveer’s ongoing Don 3 controversy and the Delhi Gymkhana Club row, saying, “I've been following the Ranveer Singh thing. I've been following the Delhi Gymkhana thing. There's not that much of a difference… Ranveer Singh is like the Delhi Gymkhana in many ways of Bollywood.”

She continued, “What is the whole thing about? It's about power. It's about control. It's about banning. It's about taking away. It's about putting people in their place. It's about teaching lessons to people or institutions which maybe has a sense of over-privilege or taking advantage of a certain position without going into the legalities of it.”

The Gymkhana Club, a private club founded during British colonial rule, has been ordered by the government to vacate the prime New Delhi site it has occupied for more than a century. This has triggered a legal battle and debate over elite privilege. The Centre has asked Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate its premises on Safdarjung Road, stating that the land near key government and defence establishments in Lutyens’ Delhi is needed for “strengthening and securing defence infrastructure” and other public security requirements.

“Ranveer Singh is sensible, clever, and well-advised. He's holding his silence. He's keeping quiet, letting his fans and followers fight his battles for him. The Delhi Gymkhana is full of stuffed old shirts sitting and sipping their gin and tonics and keeping the rest of the world out. It's a different story. They are taking on the government. Now, two different news stories, but with a lot of similarities,” she mentioned.

Shobhaa mentions that FWICE has suddenly gained importance by saying that they won’t “allow this superstar and the most successful actor in India, to get to the studios and do his work”. She added that in the process, they are making themselves deeply unpopular among technicians and several others who stand to lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

“If it had to be resolved between Excel, Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh, they could have hired lawyers and gone to court, but not involved whoever these people are… What is happening is something very ugly,” she added.

In fact, Shobhaa claimed she can sense a conspiracy brewing against Ranveer and filmmaker Aditya Dhar following the massive success of the Dhurandhar franchise.

She mentioned, “In Ranveer’s case, he is an iconic movie star. He's a phenomenon. And his stupendous success, which has to be credited to his director, producer of Dhurandhar, it seems to be a conspiracy not just against one star, that's Ranveer Singh, but against everyone involved with Dhurandhar, in particular, the director and producer.”

“Now, is Dhar such a huge threat to the vested interests in Bollywood? It would appear that way. But in the bargain, what they've done, and what Ranveer has successfully done by keeping quiet, is enhance his own brand appeal and also his popularity. So who's going to win this round? Let's wait and see,” Shobhaa added.

She concluded the video by asking Farhan to take the dispute to a court and “let the law decide who has transgressed what, because for the average person that is not clear at all”.

After Shah Rukh Khan headlined Farhan’s Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011), it was announced in 2023 that Ranveer would headline Don 3. Reports of a dispute between Ranveer, Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment surfaced in December 2025 when the actor is said to have walked out of the film abruptly after the success of his Dhurandhar with filmmaker Aditya Dhar. Last month, Farhan approached the FWICE, claiming Ranveer's exit from the film had caused him monetary losses amounting to ₹45 crore. There was also talk of Farhan replacing Ranveer with Hrithik Roshan, which the actor later dismissed.

On Monday, the FWICE issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer after Farhan Akhtar approached them regarding the Don 3 dispute in April.

Following this, Ranveer’s spokesperson issued a statement addressing the dispute on his behalf. It read, “Ranveer Singh holds the highest regard for the film fraternity and for everyone associated with the Don franchise. Throughout the recent developments surrounding Don 3, he has consciously chosen to maintain silence, believing that professional discussions and personal equations are best handled with dignity, maturity and mutual respect.” The spokesperson further added that Ranveer does not wish to comment on the matter any further.

Sugandha Rawal has been writing about entertainment and lifestyle for over 13 years, and if there's one thing that's kept her going, it's a genuine love for storytelling. She completed her graduation in Journalism from the University of Delhi and went on to earn her Master of Media from IP University. Beginning her career in the fast-paced environment of news wire reporting, she learned the art of accuracy, speed, and storytelling under pressure. She later expanded her horizons in print journalism, where she honed her feature-writing skills and developed a keen eye for detail and narrative depth. These days, she's firmly rooted in digital journalism, adapting and evolving with a media landscape that never sits still. Over the years, Sugandha has covered everything from Bollywood and celebrity culture to wellness trends and lifestyle shifts. She enjoys spotting the drama behind headlines, the emotion behind interviews, and the details that others might miss. When she is not chasing the latest entertainment update or lifestyle trend, you will find her observing the cultural shifts that shape the stories we consume every day.Read More