26 May,2026 10:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Chunky Panday. Pic via Instagram
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) recently issued a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer Singh over his alleged abrupt exit from his film, Farhan Akhtar's Don 3. The move has sparked a debate online, with many opposing the decision, while others have defended it. Amid the ongoing chatter online, actor Chunky Panday recently spoke about the issue while recalling the time when he, too, was banned from the industry during the early days of his career.
Talking to ETimes about Ranveer Singh getting allegedly 'banned', Chunky Panday said he wasn't fully aware of the matter. He said, "I am not fully aware of the details of this matter, so I may not be the right person to comment on it. But yes, even I was once banned."
The veteran actor recalled how he once landed in trouble with the federation. He shared, "During the shooting of 'Aag Hi Aag' in 1987, the film industry had gone on strike, and no one was supposed to continue shooting. However, Pahlaj Nihalani was shooting in Bangalore with the entire team, and later we continued filming in Ooty as well. That is why strict action was taken against me and everyone associated with the film. At that time, all shootings had been stopped."
Further adding how Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha were spared, Chunky said, "Dharmendra ji and Shatrughan Sinha ji were also part of the film, but they were such big stars doing 30-40 films that banning them was not really possible. I was a newcomer then; my film hadn't even been released, so eventually I got banned for about a week."
He went on to add, "The reason was simple, I was shooting with Pahlaj Nihalani while the entire industry was on strike. Since they couldn't take action against the bigger stars, they took action against me instead. Later, I apologised, and the ban was lifted within a week. But these things happen. Ours is a very small and fragile industry, and I have experienced it myself."
