The latest Bollywood action thriller, Dhurandhar, is directed by Aditya Dhar. The movie stars Ranveer Singh alongside Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, and Rakesh Bedi. All six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have banned the film from release. According to multiple media reports, the decision was taken following concerns over the film’s political content.
Why did these countries ban Dhurandhar?
Despite registering a strong box-office performance in India and crossing the ₹300 crore mark globally, the film failed to secure approval for release across Gulf countries. Industry sources suggest that regional censors objected to the film’s storyline. The authorities denied the certification also because an Indian intelligence agent is infiltrating Pakistani networks. So, the authorities are perceiving the movie as potentially “anti-Pakistan.”
Anticipating possible regulatory hurdles, Dhurandhar’s production team had submitted the film for certification in several Gulf countries. However, none of these nations cleared it for commercial release, effectively excluding a significant overseas market for Indian cinema. Such decisions, the film industry experts say, could make it more difficult for similar films to get released in international markets in the future. This is not the first time a Bollywood movie has faced such restrictions in the Gulf. Previously, high-budgeted Bollywood projects such as Fighter (2024), Sky Force (2025), The Diplomat (2025), Article 370 and Tiger 3 faced similar bans or censor objections in the region.
The ban represents a clear commercial setback, as Gulf markets constitute a crucial overseas revenue stream for Indian cinema. Despite these hurdles, Dhurandhar continues to perform strongly at the domestic box office. Nonetheless, there is considerable anticipation surrounding its second release scheduled for March 2026. The industry observers believe it could reignite international interest in the film. Meanwhile, speculation is growing around an early OTT release, which could allow the film to reach audiences in the Gulf through digital streaming platforms.
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