Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar suffers Rs 90 crore loss due to THIS reason

Dhurandhar still

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar will soon complete a month since its theatrical release. The film, starring Ranveer Singh in the lead, is still going strong at the box office and has crossed Rs 1,000 crore globally. However, the film's earnings could have been much higher had it not been banned in the Middle East. The distributor of the film revealed that the ban caused significant losses.

Middle East ban impact on Dhurandhar

Speaking to CNN-News18, distributor Parnab Kapadia said the ban impacted the film's international business. "I think this is at least a 10 million dollars (around Rs 90 crore) box office loss, because traditionally action films have always performed very well in the Middle East. Therefore, we strongly feel that the film should have received a release there."

He added, "At the same time, we have to respect the views, rules and regulations of every territory and country, as they have their reasons. We are not the first film to be denied a release; Fighter was also not released earlier, along with several others. We made every possible effort to ensure the film was released, but ultimately, Dhurandhar has found its audience - if not in the Gulf, then elsewhere."

Gulf countries ban Dhurandhar

Inspired by real events, Dhurandhar follows an Indian spy who infiltrates Pakistani gangs to extract information about potential attacks on India. While the film continues its dream theatrical run, it has been banned across all Gulf countries.

According to a report by 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 secure 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 faced a ban 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 drew 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 rejected it.

Earlier this year, Akshay Kumar's Sky Force and John Abraham's The Diplomat were also banned in several Middle Eastern countries. Article 370 and Tiger 3 faced similar issues.