The Don 3 controversy has become one of the biggest talking points in the Hindi film industry, and the latest developments have raised a question that many insiders are now asking privately: if Ranveer Singh had serious issues with the film, why did preparations continue till just days before the scheduled shoot?

Bollywood Hungama has learned from sources familiar with the matter that Don 3 was not merely a project in development. Instead, the film had been built around Ranveer Singh for nearly 32 months before the collaboration collapsed in December 2025.

Sources reveal that Excel Entertainment began work on introducing Ranveer Singh as the new Don as early as April 19, 2023, when the production house shot the first-look announcement video at its own expense. The teaser was eventually unveiled on August 9, 2023 and marked the formal passing of the baton from Shah Rukh Khan’s era of the franchise to Ranveer Singh’s. Excel Entertainment and Farhan Akhtar took a significant reputational risk at the time by backing Ranveer despite resistance from a section of fans who were unhappy with the recasting.

A source told Bollywood Hungama, “People forget what Excel did for this project. They didn’t merely cast Ranveer. They re-launched one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic franchises around him. The entire Don 3 campaign, positioning and long-term planning revolved around Ranveer Singh despite his back-to-back flops.”

The collaboration moved ahead substantially over the next two years. Sources claim that a term sheet recording the principal terms of Ranveer Singh’s engagement was signed on August 7, 2024, while discussions on the long-form agreement continued thereafter. The latest draft of the script was reportedly shared with the actor’s team on March 25, 2025.

The developments that followed have become central to the controversy.

Sources state that on August 25, 2025, Excel Entertainment shared a detailed schedule with Ranveer Singh’s team covering action training, costume trials, look tests and principal photography. The shoot was planned to commence on January 9, 2026 and continue until the end of July 2026. What has surprised many within the industry is that preparations allegedly continued right until the final days before the fallout.

According to sources, Ranveer Singh underwent action training between November 3 and November 12, 2025, with the expenses borne by Excel Entertainment. Action rehearsals were subsequently scheduled, while costume trials and look tests were also planned as part of the pre-production process.

“By that stage, this was not a film waiting for approvals. This was a film preparing to go on floors. Multiple departments had been activated, schedules had been blocked, and substantial money had already been spent,” said an industry source.

Sources further claim that Ranveer Singh participated in script-reading sessions with Farhan Akhtar and the key cast on December 15 and 16, 2025. Industry insiders who have followed the matter closely insist that these developments make the eventual exit all the more puzzling.

One trade veteran remarked, “That is the question everyone is asking. If there were fundamental problems with the script, budget or the project itself, why continue with action training, costume trials, rehearsals and script readings? Ranveer or his team have not convincingly answered that yet.”

According to sources, a look test scheduled for December 17 was cancelled at the last minute. Three days later, on December 20, 2025, Ranveer Singh allegedly informed the producers over a phone call that he would no longer be part of Don 3.

While Ranveer Singh’s camp has maintained that there were concerns regarding the project and the actor has not publicly commented in detail on the allegations made against him, many within the trade believe the chronology itself raises uncomfortable questions.

As one producer put it, “Actors have every right to reject a film. But if preparations continue till the final stretch and a producer keeps investing money based on those commitments, then naturally questions will be asked to the actor.”

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