Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar has been a massive success globally. The film has crossed Rs 1,000 crore at the box office, 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.
"Fighter was also not released before this, and several others. So we, of course, made a full attempt at ensuring that we put our best foot forward for the release. But I think ultimately, the film has found its audience, if not in the Gulf, then elsewhere," he added.
Pranab noted that the December holidays helped mitigate the impact of the ban as many Gulf fans watched the film while travelling abroad. "I know some of them who have travelled overseas. Especially in the month of December, they are on holiday. So they have come from the Gulf to European countries or American soil, and they have actually enjoyed the film. Fortunately, the film was released at a time when, you know, almost the second half of December is a holiday period. So people are travelling abroad, and they are ensuring that one evening in their schedule is free to watch Dhurandhar," he explained.
Set against the backdrop of Karachi's Lyari area, Dhurandhar features Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy who infiltrates a Pakistani gang. The supporting cast also includes Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun in key roles.
