Ranveer Singhs Dhurandhar BANNED! Six Gulf nations slam door on Bollywood blockbuster over Pakistan fury
Ranveer Singh's spy thriller Dhurandhar is banned in six Gulf nations—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE—over anti-Pakistan messaging. A source told Bollywood Hungama: "There were apprehensions... none approved the film's theme." It still crossed Rs 200 crore in India.
New Delhi: Ranveer Singh's latest action-packed spy thriller, Dhurandhar, is smashing records in India, crossing Rs 200 crore in just a week. But excitement turns to shock: six Gulf countries have banned it outright. Why?
Its bold anti-Pakistan theme has sparked fury among censors. Despite the snub, the film roars on, fueled by real-life spy drama and star power. What's the full story behind this blockbuster ban?
Dhurandhar banned in six Gulf nations
Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar after his 2019 hit Uri: The Surgical Strike, draws crowds in India but faces a total shutdown in the Middle East. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—all key markets for Bollywood—refused clearance due to the film's perceived anti-Pakistan messaging. The makers tried hard for a release, but authorities said no everywhere.
A source told Bollywood Hungama, "There were apprehensions that this would happen as the film is perceived as an ‘anti-Pakistan film’. The team still made an attempt, but none of the countries approved the film's theme. That's why Dhurandhar hasn't been released in any Gulf territory.” This echoes past bans on films like Fighter, Sky Force, The Diplomat, Article 370, Tiger 3, and The Kashmir Files, which touched sensitive India-Pakistan themes. Even Fighter got pulled from the UAE after one day, and a revised version was rejected.
Yet, Dhurandhar shines at home with Rs 200 crore net in India and Rs 44.5 crore overseas (Gulf excluded). It draws from real geopolitics, like Operation Lyari in Pakistan and alleged RAW missions—not based on one soldier, as Dhar clarified. The cast dazzles: Ranveer leads with Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal. Strong word-of-mouth positions it as a 2025 box office giant.
Suniel Wadhwa's opinion on ban of Dhurandhar in UAE
In an exclusive chat with News9, Suniel Wadhwa, Co-Founder & Director of Karmic Films, said: "Dhurandhar not releasing in the UAE is a major commercial setback because historically the territory has delivered exceptionally strong lifetime numbers for Indian tentpoles. If you look at the recent December patterns, Animal closed at a lifetime of $4.13 million (≈₹34.35 crore at ₹83/USD) and Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2 finished at $3.42 million (≈₹29.44 crore at ₹86/USD). These are not opening week figures — these are the lifetime UAE–GCC box-office collections, which clearly underline how valuable this market is for big-scale Indian films.
Given the genre, scale, and December positioning of Dhurandhar, it was reasonably expected to deliver between $3–4 million lifetime in the UAE market. At today’s exchange rate of ₹90 per USD, the film is effectively staring at a direct revenue loss in the range of ₹27 crore to ₹36 crore, purely from the GCC theatrical circuit. Beyond the financial loss, the UAE ban also affects the film’s global visibility, downstream MG negotiations, and cumulative worldwide box-office reporting. In the last decade, only a handful of Indian films like Bangistan, Raaz 3, OMG, Sky Force, and The Diplomat have been denied clearance. With Dhurandhar joining that list, the industry is once again reminded how crucial content sensitivity remains in the Gulf region — and how significant the revenue impact can be when a film misses out on this market.”
The ban revives debates on how cross-border stories face extra checks in the Gulf, a vital revenue spot. Still, Dhurandhar's Indian triumph proves audiences love its gritty, real-world edge.