Aditya Dhar’s directorial Dhurandhar is enjoying a strong run at the box office. Released worldwide on December 5, the film stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, and Arjun Rampal in prominent roles. Inspired by real events, it follows an Indian spy who infiltrates Pakistani gangs to extract information about potential attacks on India. While the film continues its dream run theatrically, it has now been banned across all Gulf countries.
Gulf countries ban Dhurandhar
According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, the film’s narrative led to the ban in the UAE/GCC region. A source told the portal, “Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have not released Dhurandhar. There were apprehensions that this would happen as the film is perceived as an ‘anti-Pakistan film’. In the past, such films have failed to procure a release in this region. The makers still attempted a submission, but none of the countries approved the film’s theme.”
This is not the first time an Indian film has been banned in the region. Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s 2024 film Fighter was also banned in all Gulf countries. Its depiction of the Pulwama attack sparked criticism in Pakistan, with accusations of promoting an “anti-Pakistan” agenda and “exploiting a sensitive issue.” Although the makers submitted a re-edited version, the UAE ministry still rejected it.
Earlier this year, Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force and John Abraham’s The Diplomat were banned in several Middle Eastern countries. Article 370 and Tiger 3 also faced similar issues.
Bollywood celebrities praise Dhurandhar
The film remains unstoppable at the box office, even on weekdays. It collected Rs 24.3 crore on Monday, Rs 28.6 crore on Tuesday, and Rs 29.2 crore on Wednesday.
Akshay Kumar praised the film, tweeting, “Watched Dhurandhar and I’m blown away. What a gripping tale, and you’ve simply nailed it, Aditya. We need our stories told in a hard-hitting way, and I’m glad audiences are giving it the love it deserves.”
Smriti Irani also appreciated the film, calling Aditya Dhar a “craftsperson par excellence” and applauding performances by Akshaye Khanna, Ranveer Singh, and Arjun Rampal.
Hrithik Roshan praised the storytelling while acknowledging that he disagreed with the film’s politics. “I may disagree with the politics of it… Nevertheless, I can’t ignore how much I loved and learned from it as a student of cinema,” he wrote.