Farhan Akhtar's action against Ranveer Singh is not the only time the Mumbai film industry has seen an ugly fallout between co-workers. The most infamous example was when BR Chopra filed a case against Madhubala who refused to continue shooting for the film he was making at that time, Naya Daur (1957). Chopra wanted to shift the shoot to move to Bhopal but Madhubala's father, Ataullah Khan, refused on the grounds that the actor was ill. Dilip Kumar, her co-star, with whom she was in a relationship, testified in court against her. Years later, Dilip Kumar said that the way the media portrayed him caused him a lot of pain, making it seem that he wanted her out of the film, whereas it was her controlling father who wanted to demonstrate his authority.
Chopra replaced Madhubala with Vyjanthimala and the film was a huge hit, with its message of man winning over the machine. Farhan Akhtar himself is no stranger to legal battles. Abhishek Kapoor took Farhan and his partner in Excel Entertainment, Ritesh Sidhwani, to court for denying him joint story credit for Rock On 2 (2016). Bombay High court ruled in Kapoor's favour and Excel had to reinstate his credit, Abhishek Kapoor had directed the first Rock On in 2008 which went to become a commercial and artistic hit.
Farhan has also been in the middle of a case of credit not being given where it is due which has become an urban legend in the Mumbai film industry now. Aditya Dhar is said to have written a script based on Indian athlete Milkha Singh's life which he gave to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to film. The film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starred Farhan and one is not sure whether he knew that Aditya Dhar was denied credit for his work.
Farhan Akhtar's response to Ranveer singh stepping out of Don 3 seems a bit disproportional given his other project, Jee Le Zaraa, announced in 2021, with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt, has also been indefinitely shelved. He was supposed to direct the film with a script co-written with Farhan, his sister Zoya and her partner at Tiger Baby films, Reema Kagti. Apparently the movie has not made progress because of date issues.
Farhan Akhtar seems to have taken great exception to Ranveer Singh though for abandoning Don 3 and has moved the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) so he can claim damages of Rs 45 crore spent on preparing for the shoot. FWICE has claimed Excel submitted audited pre-production expenses, including hotel bookings, location bookings and overseas travel for more than 200 workers.
It is ironic that when Ranveer signed Don 3 in 2023, his career was in the doldrums with underwhelming box office performances of 83, Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Cirkus. Farhan has since then seen a series of reverses, with Toofan (2021) and 120 Bahadur (2025) underperforming at the box office. He can, however, look forward to the news that he will be playing Pandit Ravi Shankar, India's famed sitarist, in the four-film series on The Beatles being directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes.
Ranveer was directed by Zoya Akhtar in the acclaimed Gully Boy (2019). Several industry seniors have tried to mediate in the dispute, including actors Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, to no avail. This being Bollywood, there is a conspiracy theory for this disagreement.
Since starring in the Dhurandhar franchise, directed by Aditya Dhar, which has reportedly made Rs 3,100 crore globally, it is being suggested that Ranveer has been showcasing his uber nationalistic credentials, even visiting the RSS's Nagpur headquarters to meet the chief Mohan Bhagwat. As in politics, there are no permanent friends and enemies in the film industry. It's all about money and whose box office potential is bigger at the moment.