Director Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh in the lead, is nearing one month since its theatrical release and continues to enjoy a strong run at the box office.
The action thriller has already crossed the â¹1,000 crore mark worldwide. However, the film’s total earnings could have been significantly higher if not for its ban in the Middle East.
According to the film’s distributor, the absence of a release across Gulf countries resulted in a substantial loss to its overseas business.
Speaking to CNN-News18, distributor Parnab Kapadia said the ban had a major financial impact.
“This is at least a $10 million loss, which is roughly â¹90 crore. Traditionally, action films perform exceptionally well in the Middle East, so we strongly believe Dhurandhar should have released there,” he said.
Kapadia added that while the makers were disappointed, they respected the regulations of each territory.
“Every country has its own rules and reasons. We are not the first film to face this situation. Fighter and several other films were also denied release earlier. We made every possible effort, but Dhurandhar has still found its audience elsewhere, even if not in the Gulf,” he explained.
Inspired by real-life events, Dhurandhar follows the story of an Indian intelligence officer who infiltrates Pakistani gangs to gather critical information about potential attacks on India.
Despite its dream theatrical run, the film was banned across all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
A report by Bollywood Hungama stated that the film’s narrative led to the ban in the UAE and other Gulf nations.
A source told the portal that countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE declined to release the film, reportedly due to concerns that it was perceived as an “anti-Pakistan” film.
Similar films in the past have also failed to secure releases in the region. Although the makers submitted the film for approval, none of the countries cleared its theme.
This is not an isolated case. Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s Fighter (2024) was also banned across Gulf countries due to its depiction of the Pulwama attack. Despite submitting a re-edited version, the UAE Ministry rejected the film.
Earlier this year, Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force and John Abraham’s The Diplomat faced similar bans, while films like Article 370 and Tiger 3 also encountered release issues in the Middle East.
Despite these setbacks, Dhurandhar continues its remarkable box-office run globally, reinforcing its status as one of the biggest blockbusters in recent years.