- Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar released on December 5, 2025, and broke multiple box office records
- Dhurandhar was banned in the UAE and several Gulf countries, causing a $10 million revenue loss
- Fans from Dubai flew to India just to watch Dhurandhar in theaters despite the UAE ban
Dhurandhar was released in cinemas on December 5, 2025 and created history at the box office, breaking multiple records. Now with the sequel coming up, there's not much to do in terms of promotions as the first part is already the highest-grossing film of all time. Hence, the excitement is skyrocketing. However, Dhurandhar was banned in the UAE, but one of the key cast members recently mentioned how fans flew down to India for just a day to watch Dhurandhar.
What's Happening
- In an interview with Sonia Shenoy on her YouTube channel, R Madhavan said, "If you look at Dhurandhar, people from Dubai actually flew down for one day to watch the film and then flew back. That is the power of good content."
- Speaking of the buzz around Dhurandhar 2, he continued, "Now they're planning their business meetings around March 19 when Dhurandhar 2 is releasing. They'll go there for meetings, watch the film, and then return, as it's banned in the UAE. For them, it would be so easy to just watch it on IPTV, okay? And I'm sure they could. But they want to experience watching a film like Dhurandhar in a theatre full of people. That gives you a community experience. Cinema allows that. Watching the same film alone at home feels completely different. It's like performing dandiya in front of the TV. Dandiya is something you go out and play on the ground, with people around you."
- Furthermore, the actor added how Dhurandhar might be successful in ending the whole debate of India vs Pakistan.
- He said, "Traditionally, we've been making movies around the India-Pakistan war or our freedom struggle. That has been our action space and our core go-to in terms of storytelling. But the younger generation doesn't even want that anymore. They're like samajh gaya main, kitni baar bologe? (I've understood it, how many times will you say it?) And I think after Dhurandhar, that whole India-Pakistan thing is going to go. That's the full stop now."
Dhurandhar UAE Ban
Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar has been a massive success globally, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy thriller is a two-part series that has received mixed reviews for its portrayal of anti-terror operations and geopolitical tensions.
Despite its success in India and other countries, Dhurandhar faced a ban in several Middle Eastern nations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The ban in the Gulf market has resulted in an estimated loss of Rs 90 crore ($10 million) in overseas earnings.
Dhurandhar's overseas distributor, Pranab Kapadia, revealed that the ban resulted in a massive loss of around $10 million for the film. He mentioned that the Gulf market is especially important for Indian action films, which traditionally perform well here.
"I think this is at least a ten-million-dollar box office that we have lost, because traditionally, action films have always performed very well in the Middle East. And therefore, we feel that it should have gotten a release. But, at the same time, we have to respect the views and the rules and regulations of every territory and every country, and they have their reasons," Pranab told CNN-News18.
About Dhurandhar 2
Unlike the first film, which was released solely in Hindi, Dhurandhar 2 will open in cinemas on March 19, in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. The film is written and directed by Aditya Dhar and produced by Adoti Deshpande, and Lokesh Dhar.
Recap
The first installment introduced audiences to a high-stakes, two-part espionage saga. The story followed an Indian intelligence operative working undercover in Karachi, navigating criminal networks and political circles to dismantle a terror group threatening India's security. Dhurandhar 2 continues the narrative with Hamza Ali Mazhari, an undercover Indian agent who is now firmly embedded within Pakistan's underworld.
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