The controversy surrounding Ranveer Singh and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees non-cooperation directive is growing bigger by the day, and it is now threatening to derail multiple upcoming Bollywood productions. Among the films at risk is the highly anticipated zombie thriller Pralay.
Pralay is one of the films most directly at risk due to the FWICE directive against Ranveer Singh. The zombie thriller, directed by Jay Mehta, is scheduled to begin production in August this year and has .approximately 500 technicians and crew members involved, covering departments such as action, lighting, costumes, makeup, art direction and on-screen staff.
What alternative have the Pralay makers decided on?
According to a Mid-day report, the makers of Pralay are planning to shift the film’s shoot from Mumbai to another city in India. Since Federation of Western India Cine Employees has banned Ranveer Singh from working with members linked to its 38 unions, the makers may hire local crew members instead. A source from the production reportedly said the ban would affect not just the actor and the film, but also daily wage workers who depend on such projects for work.
“In the Hindi film industry, where over 70 per cent of the daily wage earners are already out of work because not many films are being made, shouldn’t the FWICE allow them to work instead of taking opportunities away with this directive? As for Pralay, in the worst-case scenario, Ranveer can take the cast and crew, and shoot the movie anywhere in India. While the FWICE’s stand applies to all of its members, it cannot legally stop non-members from working. If Pralay is shot outside Mumbai, the makers may bypass the FWICE-affiliated workers by hiring local crew members belonging to other unions,” said the source.
Why did Ranveer Singh leave Don 3?
Reports suggest Ranveer Singh decided to leave Don 3 because he wanted to focus on different kinds of films after the success of Dhurandhar 2. Sources claimed he did not want to do back to back gangster style roles and was more interested in working with directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Lokesh Kanagaraj and Atlee on different projects. Ranveer himself has not officially spoken about the controversy yet.
