Ranveer Singh has faced FIRs, a High Court warning, an industry non-cooperation directive, and complaints from religious groups, lawyers, and NGOs. This is a factual record of how it happened, each time.
Image Source: Instagram
Ranveer Singh debuted in ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ in 2010 and built a career on films like ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Padmaavat’, ‘Gully Boy’, ‘Dhurandhar’. But alongside his filmography runs a parallel record of public controversies. The most recent, a non-cooperation directive from the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) over his exit from ‘Don 3’, has once again placed him at the centre of a major industry dispute.
Here is an account of controversies that have defined his public life.
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One of Ranveer Singh’s earliest controversies came on ‘Koffee With Karan’, where he appeared alongside Anushka Sharma in 2011, just one year into his career.
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During the episode, he made a comment directed at Anushka Sharma on camera: “You want your a** pinched? I’m right here.” Anushka Sharma responded on camera, “Don’t talk to me like that.” In the same episode, he made a sexual remark about Kareena Kapoor Khan, saying he “went from child to boy” watching her swim.
The clip resurfaced in 2019, during the national backlash triggered by Hardik Pandya’s comments on the same show.
In December 2014, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor participated in the AIB Knockout, a celebrity roast hosted by Karan Johar. The edited video was uploaded to YouTube on 28 January 2015.
The roast featured sexually explicit jokes, expletives, comments widely seen as offensive. It gained millions of views within hours before being taken down. Right-wing groups and politicians filed FIRs against the participants, including Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, and Karan Johar, under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to obscenity.
In 2016, Ranveer appeared in an ad for fashion brand Jack & Jones. The campaign showed him carrying a woman over his shoulder in an office setting. The tagline read: “Don’t Hold Back. Take Your Work Home.”
Celebrities and activists criticised the ad for trivialising workplace sexual harassment. The campaign was pulled down from hoardings across more than 30 cities overnight.
Ranveer issued an official statement. He said the billboard “got it wrong” and that he would “never do anything to disrespect women.”
Ranveer Singh played Alauddin Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmaavat’. The film had a troubled road to release.
Hindu right-wing groups and Rajput organisations mounted sustained protests, claiming the film distorted history and disrespected the Rajput community. Director Bhansali was physically attacked on the Jaipur set in January 2017, before the film was completed. Threats were issued against Deepika Padukone. The film was banned in several Indian states before the Supreme Court allowed its national release in January 2018.
Ranveer Singh’s portrayal of Khilji as a brutal and unstable ruler drew both critical acclaim and community outrage. Several groups alleged the film vilified a Muslim historical figure.
In July 2022, American publication ‘Paper Magazine’ published nude photographs of Ranveer Singh. He recreated Burt Reynolds’ famous 1972 ‘Cosmopolitan’ centrefold, posing on a Turkish rug without clothing. He posted the images on his Instagram account on 21 July 2022.
On 25 July, a Mumbai-based lawyer, Vedika Chaubey, filed a complaint at Chembur Police Station, alleging the images hurt the sentiments of women. On 26 July, Mumbai Police registered an FIR under multiple IPC sections, including Section 292 (sale of obscene material), Section 293 (sale of obscene objects to young people), Section 509 (acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and provisions under the Information Technology Act.
Then on 27 July, a separate complaint was filed before the Maharashtra State Commission for Women by an advocate named Ashish Rai, who argued the images were against “the dignity of women and small children.”
On 29 August 2022, Ranveer recorded his statement at Chembur Police Station in a session lasting over two hours. He told police that one of the published photographs had been tampered with and morphed by a third party. The case remained open.
In November 2025, at the closing ceremony of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Ranveer Singh attempted to imitate a scene from Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ while on stage, in the presence of Shetty himself.
The scene he imitated was based on the Chamundi Daiva, a sacred spirit deity from the real ritual tradition of the Tulu community of coastal Karnataka. While performing the imitation, Ranveer referred to the deity as a “female ghost” and performed exaggerated expressions. The clip went viral online within hours.
A formal police complaint was filed in Bengaluru alleging the remarks caused “deep hurt” to Hindus, particularly the Tulu-speaking community. The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) also filed a complaint demanding a public apology.
On 2 December 2025, Ranveer issued an apology on Instagram. He wrote: “My intention was to highlight Rishab’s performance in the film. Actor to actor, I know how much it would take to perform that particular scene the way he did.” He added: “I have always deeply respected every culture, tradition and belief in our country. If I have hurt anyone’s sentiments, I sincerely apologise.”
Ranveer Singh approached the Karnataka High Court seeking quashing of the FIR. His counsel also expressed willingness for him to visit the Chamundi Temple in Mysore and apologise in person.
On Monday, May 25, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issued a formal non-cooperation directive against actor Ranveer Singh in connection with the ‘Don 3’ dispute. The directive urges the Indian film industry not to work with him until the matter is resolved.… pic.twitter.com/H9YYvQU4wW
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) May 25, 2026
In August 2023, Excel Entertainment released a teaser officially announcing Ranveer Singh as the new Don in ‘Don 3’. Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani produced the project.
According to FWICE’s formal proceedings, Ranveer Singh exited the project three weeks before the film’s unit was ready to leave for the shoot. Farhan Akhtar filed a complaint before the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA). The matter then went to FWICE.
Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani informed FWICE that they had already spent approximately Rs 45 crore on pre-production. FWICE sent three formal notices to Ranveer Singh, spaced roughly ten days apart, requesting him to appear and address the complaint. He did not respond to any of the notices.
FWICE Chief Advisor Ashoke Pandit clarified publicly that the term “ban” was technically incorrect. FWICE does not hold legal authority to ban any actor. The directive meant that FWICE members across all film crafts were instructed not to work on any of Ranveer Singh’s upcoming productions. The federation also requested producers to join them in solidarity.
Ranveer Singh’s spokesperson issued a statement on 25 May 2026 saying he “holds the highest regard for the film fraternity” and had “consciously chosen to maintain silence, believing that professional discussions and personal equations are best handled with dignity, maturity and mutual respect.”
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