Six Gulf countries ban Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar over 'anti-Pakistan' stance
PTC News Desk: Ranveer Singh’s new spy film Dhurandhar is doing well in India, but it has run into trouble overseas, especially in the Middle East. The movie has been banned in six Gulf countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — because authorities reportedly felt it shows Pakistan in a negative light.
This ban has once again sparked discussion about how Indian movies with India-Pakistan themes often face strict checks in the Gulf. Reports say the filmmakers tried to release Dhurandhar in these countries, which are important markets for Bollywood, but they didn’t get approval anywhere. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened — movies like Fighter, Sky Force, The Diplomat, Article 370, Tiger 3 and The Kashmir Files have also faced bans or restrictions in the region. In fact, Fighter was released in the UAE for one day and then removed, and even a revised version wasn’t accepted.
Even though it’s blocked in the Gulf, Dhurandhar is doing extremely well in India. It has made over ₹200 crore in just one week and collected ₹44.5 crore from overseas (not counting the Gulf). The film marks director Aditya Dhar’s return after six years since his 2019 hit Uri: The Surgical Strike. Many people assumed the film was based on Major Mohit Sharma, but Dhar clarified that the story is inspired by real geopolitics and secret R&AW missions.
The movie takes cues from events linked to Operation Lyari in Pakistan and the suspected involvement of Indian intelligence. Besides Ranveer Singh, the film stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan and Arjun Rampal. With strong audience reviews and its real-life-inspired plot, Dhurandhar is shaping up to be one of the biggest hits of the year.
- With inputs from agencies
