The British film industry is watching closely this morning as the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) has officially called for a boycott of Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh. The decision, announced late Tuesday night in Mumbai, stems from Singh's refusal to pay a disputed fee to the union's welfare fund. For UK distributors and exhibitors who have banked on Singh's star power to fill seats in Leicester Square and Birmingham's Star City, the move threatens to disrupt a lucrative pipeline of Indian cinema that has become a staple of the British box office.
IMPPA president TP Aggarwal stated that Singh's alleged non-compliance with a long-standing industry levy amounts to 'a betrayal of the workers who build his films'. The levy, a contribution of 0.5% of a film's budget to a welfare fund for daily wage labourers, has been a point of contention for years. Singh's camp argues that the payment is not legally binding, but the union has now made it a matter of principle. The boycott means that no IMPPA-affiliated workers will work on Singh's future projects, effectively grounding his career in India.
The impact on British cinema is not negligible. Singh's films, including 'Padmaavat' and 'Simmba', have grossed over £10 million in the UK alone. The UK is the largest market for Indian films outside India, with 2019 seeing a record 120 Indian releases in British theatres. A prolonged boycott of Singh could lead to a gap in programming for chains like Cineworld and Vue, who have dedicated screens for Bollywood blockbusters.
More importantly, the dispute highlights the brittle economic realities of the global film industry. British producers who have co-production agreements with Indian studios may find themselves caught between union solidarity and commercial imperatives. As one UK-based independent producer, who asked not to be named, told me: 'We rely on these relationships. A boycott like this sends a chill through the whole collaboration.'
The union's action is also a reminder of the power of organised labour in an industry often glamourised as frictionless. For British workers in film and television, many of whom are fighting for their own fair share of streaming revenues, the IMPPA's stance resonates. It is easy for a London executive to dismiss a Bollywood dispute as exotic. But the same battles over pay, conditions and respect for the crew are fought every day on sets from Elstree to Salford.
Singh has yet to respond publicly. The next few days will be critical. If the boycott holds, it will not only reshape Indian cinema but also redraw the lines of power that connect Mumbai to the West End. For the British film industry, the message is clear: your next blockbuster might depend on a labour dispute half a world away.
