FWICE hits back at Ram Gopal Varma, claims ₹1.25 crore unpaid to ‘Officer’ crew
Synopsis
What started as a contractual fight between Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar over ‘Don 3’ has erupted into a full-blown industry row. FWICE has now accused Ram Gopal Varma of owing ₹1.25 crore in technician dues from ‘Officer’ since 2017 — turning his ‘kangaroo court’ jibe into an awkward boomerang.
Key Takeaways
FWICE alleges Ram Gopal Varma owes over ₹1.25 crore to technicians from his Telugu film ‘Officer’ .
Chief Advisor Ashoke Pandit said the dispute has been pending since 2017 .
Varma had sought a final deadline of 4 March 2019 to clear dues in a letter to the federation, which remains unpaid.
The row erupted after Varma called FWICE a ‘kangaroo court’ on X on 29 May .
FWICE revoked its Non-Cooperation Directive against Ranveer Singh on Wednesday after a legal notice from the actor.
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on Wednesday hit back at filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, alleging that the director himself owes more than ₹1.25 crore in unpaid dues to technicians and workers from his 2018 Telugu feature ‘Officer’. The counter-attack came after Varma branded the body a ‘kangaroo court’ on social media platform X.
What FWICE alleged
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai on 3 June, FWICE Chief Advisor Ashoke Pandit said, ‘We live in a democratic country, and hence everyone is entitled to their opinion. But we would like to tell the world today that Ram Gopal Varma owes more than a crore and 25 lakhs to the technicians and to the workers.’
Pandit clarified that the disclosure was not retaliatory but a reminder, insisting the federation had been pursuing the matter since 2017.
The 2019 letter
Pandit read out excerpts from a letter Varma had written to the federation, in which the filmmaker acknowledged the outstanding payments. ‘We have made a film named ‘Officer’ and for the same, there are outstanding payments to be made to the federation, associate members, and other vendors,’ the letter read, with Varma seeking 4 March 2019 as a final deadline to clear the entire payout.
According to Pandit, the dues remain unpaid years after that self-set deadline. He also demanded a public apology from the ‘Satya’ director.
How the row began
On 29 May, Varma had taken to X to call FWICE a ‘kangaroo court’ after the body slapped a Non-Cooperation Directive (NCD) on actor Ranveer Singh over his exit from ‘Don 3’. ‘FWICE is neither a court of legal justice nor a government authorised regulatory body, and at best it’s a kangaroo court, which by definition pretends to deliver justice, but in actual fact it disregards established legal rules, due process, and impartiality,’ Varma wrote.
Ban on Ranveer Singh revoked
FWICE revoked the NCD against the ‘Dhurandhar’ star on Wednesday after Ranveer Singh’s legal team sent a notice to the organisation. What began as a contractual dispute between Ranveer and Farhan Akhtar has now snowballed into a wider industry row drawing in FWICE, Varma, and several other voices from Bollywood.
What happens next
The federation has signalled it could pursue further action on the ‘Officer’ dues, while Varma is yet to publicly respond to the ₹1.25 crore claim. The episode has reignited a long-running debate over how unpaid wage disputes in Indian cinema are adjudicated outside the courts.
Point of View
Not a tribunal, yet for thousands of daily-wage technicians it is the only realistic recourse — which is precisely why Varma’s ‘kangaroo court’ jibe stings on both sides. The ₹1.25 crore ‘Officer’ claim, if accurate, exposes a structural problem: producers can stall payments for years with little legal consequence. Until a statutory grievance mechanism exists for film workers, the industry will keep oscillating between viral tweets and press-conference rebuttals.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has FWICE alleged against Ram Gopal Varma?
FWICE Chief Advisor Ashoke Pandit has alleged that Ram Gopal Varma owes more than ₹1.25 crore to technicians and workers from his 2018 Telugu film ‘Officer’. The federation says the dues have been outstanding since 2017.
Why did Ram Gopal Varma call FWICE a ‘kangaroo court’?
Varma made the remark on X on 29 May after FWICE imposed a Non-Cooperation Directive on Ranveer Singh over his exit from ‘Don 3’. He argued that FWICE is neither a court of law nor a government-authorised regulator.
Has the ban on Ranveer Singh been lifted?
Yes, FWICE revoked the Non-Cooperation Directive against Ranveer Singh on Wednesday. The decision came after the ‘Dhurandhar’ actor sent a legal notice to the organisation.
What did Ram Gopal Varma’s 2019 letter to FWICE say?
In the letter, Varma acknowledged outstanding payments to the federation, associate members, and vendors for ‘Officer’, and requested 4 March 2019 as a final deadline to clear all dues. According to FWICE, that deadline was not met and the payments remain pending.
How did the wider Bollywood controversy begin?
It began as a contractual dispute between Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar over the actor’s exit from ‘Don 3’. The row then expanded to involve FWICE, Ram Gopal Varma, and several other industry voices.
