Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar has crossed the Rs 200-crore mark at the box office despite a major setback: the film has not been screened in any Gulf country.
According to Bollywood Hungama, the makers of Dhurandhar attempted to secure a release in the Gulf markets but were denied clearance owing to concerns over the film's political positioning.
A source told the publication, "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 too, such films have failed to procure a release in this region. The team still made an attempt, but none of the countries approved the film's theme. That's why Dhurandhar hasn't been released in any of the Gulf territories."
A Recurring Setback
This pattern mirrors the experiences of other politically sensitive Bollywood titles. From Sky Force, The Diplomat, Article 370 to Tiger 3, several Indian films have faced release hurdles in the Gulf over their portrayal of India-Pakistan relations or geopolitical themes.
The situation is similar to what happened with Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.
The GCC belt has often shied away from releasing of films with anti-Pakistani content because of their relations with both India and Pakistan.
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, features an ensemble cast including Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, and Rakesh Bedi.
The movie hit the big screens on December 5.
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