Jab se yeh Ram Gopal Varma vs Ranveer Singh ka drama shuru hua, tab se toh poora Bollywood ek naye controversy mein phans gaya hai. Lekin ab FWICE ne apna gussa RGV par utara hai aur kuch shocking allegations saamne aaye hain. Ashoke Pandit, who serves as the Chief Advisor of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, has fired back at the maverick director after RGV called the federation a ‘kangaroo court’. Turns out, the filmmaker might be in serious trouble—allegedly still owing over Rs 1.25 crore to technicians and workers from his 2018 Telugu film Officer.
Allegations of Long-Pending Dues
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Pandit didn’t hold back. He clarified that this isn’t about revenge—it’s about accountability. “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 stated, according to sources present at the press conference.
The dispute, it turns out, has been dragging on since 2017. That’s almost a decade of unpaid wages. Pandit revealed that the federation had been trying to mediate and resolve the matter for years. In 2019, Varma himself wrote to FWICE requesting an extension for clearing the dues—but those promises, it seems, were never fulfilled.
“This case has been going on since 2017. He made a Telugu feature film named ‘Officer’. The Federation was constantly trying to resolve the matter, but in 2019, Ram Gopal Varma wrote a letter to the Federation asking for an extended deadline on the overdue,” Pandit added.
RGV’s Written Promise That Never Came Through
Things got really interesting when Ashoke Pandit pulled out a letter written by RGV himself to the federation. According to excerpts shared during the presser, Varma had acknowledged the outstanding payments and even set a final deadline. “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. We as a company, understand that it has been 20 months since these payments have been long outstanding and we are fully aware and accountable for each and every due to be made, respectively,” the letter read.
RGV had requested that March 4, 2019, be the final date to clear all dues. But Pandit claims the money never reached the federation or the workers. “I would like to tell Ram Gopal Verma that you had promised ₹1.25 crore in 2019—give that money to the technicians and workers. After that, write whatever you want,” Pandit said during the conference, visibly frustrated.
He also demanded a public apology from the filmmaker for calling FWICE a ‘kangaroo court’. The federation has not yet announced any legal action, but the pressure is clearly on RGV now.
How the Whole Ranveer Singh Controversy Got FWICE Involved
This entire mess started when Ranveer Singh walked out of Don 3, leading FWICE to issue a Non-Cooperation Directive (NCD) against the actor. RGV quickly jumped in, tweeting that FWICE is “neither a court of legal justice nor a government-authorised regulatory body, and at best it’s a kangaroo court.” That tweet set off a chain reaction. FWICE revoked the ban on Ranveer after he sent a legal notice, but they clearly haven’t forgotten RGV’s remarks.
Now the federation has turned the spotlight back on the director, demanding he clear his old debts before throwing stones. With social media buzzing and industry insiders watching closely, yeh dekhte hain ab RGV jawab dete hain ya chup chaap cheque likhte hain.