Six Gulf Countries Ban Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar’ Citing Anti-Pakistan Content

Ranveer Singh’s latest spy thriller, Dhurandhar, is drawing audiences in India, but its international release has hit a major roadblock.

The film has been banned in six Gulf countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — reportedly due to its anti-Pakistan theme.

The ban highlights the ongoing scrutiny Indian films with cross-border narratives face in the Middle East. Reports suggest the makers tried to secure a theatrical release in the Gulf, a significant market for Bollywood, but clearance was denied across all countries.

“There were apprehensions that this would happen as the film is perceived as an ‘anti-Pakistan film’. The team still tried, but none of the countries approved the theme,” a source told Bollywood Hungama.

This is not the first time Indian films have faced such hurdles in the region. Titles like Fighter, Sky Force, The Diplomat, Article 370, Tiger 3, and The Kashmir Files have all been restricted in parts of the Middle East. Even Fighter, which initially released in the UAE, was pulled within a day, with a revised cut rejected.

Despite the Gulf ban, Dhurandhar continues to shine at the domestic box office, crossing Rs 200 crore net in India within a week and earning Rs 44.5 crore overseas, excluding the Gulf.

After a six-year hiatus, director Aditya Dhar returned with this film, his first since the 2019 hit Uri: The Surgical Strike. While there were rumours that the film was based on Major Mohit Sharma, Dhar clarified that it draws inspiration from real geopolitics and covert R&AW missions, particularly events surrounding Operation Lyari in Pakistan.

Alongside Ranveer Singh, the movie stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal. With strong word of mouth and a gripping real-world backdrop, Dhurandhar is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest box office successes.