The Don 3 casting storm has now spilled into a pointed exchange between Kangana Ranaut and filmmaker Ashoke Pandit. What began as a debate around Ranveer Singh’s exit from Farhan Akhtar’s much tracked action franchise has widened into an industry conversation about accountability, worker bodies and public comments made without the full picture.
Kangana recently backed Ranveer at the trailer launch of her film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, drawing a parallel with her own history of facing bans and boycotts in the industry. Her remarks did not go unanswered. Pandit, speaking in his capacity as a FWICE representative during a press conference on the Don 3 controversy, responded sharply and insisted that the federation’s position was being misunderstood.
Ashoke Pandit Responds To Kangana Ranaut
Pandit said, “A lot of people in the industry have started abusing us. Yesterday, Kangana also said something. We are not understanding the whole issue, and people are just commenting. Kangana also said that even I have been banned by the industry. I said, ‘You talk nonsense, that’s why I banned you.’ I don’t care. There is a big issue of the industry here. You don’t even know the issue. You are just saying things. We are not against Ranveer. We are talking about what has happened”.
His statement underlined FWICE’s repeated clarification that the matter is not a personal campaign against Ranveer. The federation has maintained that it has been looking into complaints connected to the circumstances around the actor’s departure from Don 3, especially because he had already been introduced as the new face of the franchise through a first look promotional video.
What The Don 3 Controversy Is About
Don 3 is directed by Farhan Akhtar and produced by Excel Entertainment, with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani associated as producers. The film continues the action thriller franchise that Farhan revived with Shah Rukh Khan in Don and Don 2. Ranveer’s announcement had generated major attention because it marked a generational handover for one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable screen antiheroes.
The current row gained momentum after Ranveer’s exit from the film became public, prompting discussion about commitments, production planning and financial implications. Pandit’s comments have now placed Kangana’s intervention at the centre of the wider industry debate.
Kangana Ranaut’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Kangana Ranaut was last seen in Emergency in 2025, a political biographical drama in which she portrayed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and also served as director and producer. Before that, she appeared in the Tamil horror comedy Chandramukhi 2 in 2023 with Raghava Lawrence and in the Hindi action drama Tejas in 2023, where she played an Indian Air Force pilot. Her 2022 action film Dhaakad was part of a commercially difficult phase for the actor.
As of June 3, 2026, Kangana’s confirmed upcoming theatrical release is Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, scheduled for June 12, 2026. Written by Manoj Tapadia, the film also stars Girija Oak and Smita Tambe and focuses on ordinary hospital workers during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
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