‘Don 3’ Row: Why Shah Rukh Khan REJECTED Farhan Akhtar’s Film Years Before Ranveer Singh’s Controversial Exit
The ongoing dispute surrounding 'Don 3' fueled by actor Ranveer Singh's abrupt exit, an INR 45 crore damage claim by director Farhan Akhtar, and a subsequent non-cooperation directive from the film union (FWICE). For the unversed, reports from 2022 indicate that superstar Shah Rukh Khan had also rejected the project due to creative reasons.
A major controversy surrounding Don 3 has intensified within the Indian film industry following actor Ranveer Singh's sudden exit from the project. The departure has led to an industry-wide dispute, with co-producer and director Farhan Akhtar seeking INR 45 crore in damages from Singh for alleged losses incurred during pre-production. Amid ‘Don 3’ Dispute With Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar in Talks To Play Pakistani Cricketer in Aamir Khan’s Lala Amarnath Biopic – Report.
The standard-bearer film union, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), has also issued a non-cooperation directive against Singh, bringing production to an abrupt halt.
As the fallout dominates industry discussions, public interest has renewed regarding why the franchise’s previous lead, Shah Rukh Khan, chose to walk away from Don 3 years before the current casting crisis unfolded. Reports indicate that Khan had formally distanced himself from the project as early as 2022 due to fundamental differences over the creative direction of the film and its alignment with box office expectations.
Shah Rukh Khan and ‘Don 3’
Shah Rukh Khan, who played the titular anti-hero in Farhan Akhtar’s Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011), reportedly declined to return for a third instalment despite extensive efforts by Excel Entertainment to retain him. According to industry reports, Khan’s decision was rooted in caution regarding the script and the evolving landscape of Indian cinema.
In 2022, a source close to the development told Bollywood Hungama that the rejection was not due to a total dislike of the concepts, but rather a lack of complete conviction. “It’s not like Shah Rukh Khan didn’t like the script. It’s just that Shah Rukh was not fully convinced," the insider stated.
The source further explained that Khan was highly protective of the franchise's legacy. "He knows Don is an iconic role and would like to step back into the character once he’s completely confident of the script. The box office scenario is not very healthy, and he wants to be doubly sure before signing on the dotted line," they added.
At the time, the production house remained hopeful that the script could be reworked to meet the superstar's standards. "As of now, Farhan Akhtar has gone back to the drawing board, and we can hope that the next time he meets SRK, the superstar will happily sign Don 3," the source noted. "The fans would be on cloud nine. When the speculations around the film generated so much craze, imagine what would happen on the day the makers announce Don 3!"
However, the reunion never materialised. Following the historic global success of his 2023 films Pathaan and Jawan, Khan reportedly shifted his career strategy to focus entirely on high-concept, mass-appeal cinema designed for universal audiences. The highly stylised, urban, and niche narrative tone characteristic of Akhtar's Don franchise no longer aligned with the broader commercial direction Khan desired.
The Ranveer Singh-‘Don 3’ Controversy
Following Khan’s exit, Excel Entertainment attempted to reboot the franchise by casting Ranveer Singh as the new face of Don in August 2023. However, the project faced persistent delays and script modifications over the next two years.
The collaboration eventually collapsed due to deep creative disagreements between Singh and Akhtar. Reports indicate that Singh desired a darker, more intense interpretation of the character, whereas Akhtar preferred to maintain the slick, urban tone of the previous instalments. Singh eventually withdrew from the film, citing the lack of a finalised, locked script and growing uncertainty surrounding the production timeline. ‘Ranveer Singh Not Banned’: FWICE’s Ashoke Pandit Clarifies Non-Cooperation Action After Actor’s ‘Don 3’ Exit.
The dispute escalated into a legal and financial battle after producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani filed a complaint with FWICE, claiming that Singh's last-minute exit cost the company INR 45 crore in wasted pre-production expenses, including international location scouting and logistics. Singh’s team has denied allegations of misconduct, stating that the actor acted with professional integrity amidst structural unreadiness from the production house.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2026 12:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
