Bollywood’s latest big‑ticket spy thriller Dhurandhar has been denied theatrical release across multiple Gulf countries, triggering debate around political storytelling, censorship, and the growing challenges Indian films face in sensitive overseas markets.
Directed by Aditya Dhar and led by Ranveer Singh, Dhurandhar opened strongly in India earlier this month, quickly emerging as one of the year’s most talked‑about Hindi releases. The film also features Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Rampal, and has been positioned as a gritty, high‑stakes espionage drama rooted in contemporary geopolitics.
However, the film’s international momentum has stalled in the Middle East. Authorities in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain have reportedly declined to grant screening permissions, effectively barring Dhurandhar from cinemas across the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
According to industry reports, the decision stems from concerns over the film’s political narrative, which censorship bodies in the region have viewed as sensitive, particularly in its depiction of cross‑border intelligence operations involving Pakistan. While no official, country‑specific statements have been released detailing the objections, distributors were informed that the film would not receive clearance in its current form.
The Gulf region is traditionally a crucial overseas market for Bollywood, driven by a large South Asian diaspora and consistently strong box office returns for mainstream Hindi films. The absence of a Gulf release is therefore expected to impact Dhurandhar’s international earnings, even as it continues to perform well domestically and in select Western markets.
Despite the setback, the film’s overall commercial performance remains robust. Trade analysts note that strong word of mouth in India and steady collections in North America and parts of Europe have cushioned the blow of the Middle East ban. The film’s scale, star power, and topical storyline have kept audience interest high, reinforcing its standing as a major release of the year.
Dhurandhar’s situation also reflects a broader pattern in recent years. Several Hindi films with overtly political or national‑security themes have faced heightened scrutiny or outright bans in Gulf countries, where regulators often adopt a cautious approach toward content that could be interpreted as politically charged or diplomatically sensitive.
Looking ahead, the makers are expected to rely more heavily on digital platforms to reach audiences in restricted territories. With streaming increasingly becoming a parallel global release avenue, films like Dhurandhar are finding alternative paths to international viewers, even when theatrical access is curtailed.
The ban underscores the complex intersection of cinema, geopolitics, and global distribution, highlighting how creative storytelling can encounter sharply different responses across regions, regardless of domestic success.
