(Image source from: x.com/jiostudios)
Bollywood film Dhurandhar with Ranveer Singh as the star and Aditya Dhar as the director, has earned over 1,000 crore rupees globally. Even though it did very well in India, Europe, and North America, it was not shown in some Middle Eastern countries. Not being released in these profitable Gulf markets significantly hurt its international earnings, with about 90 crore rupees (10 million USD) estimated to be lost because of the ban. Pranab Kapadia, the film's international distributor, said that the ban in the Middle East, likely due to the movie's anti-Pakistan message, was a lost chance. The Middle East is a key market for Indian action movies, which usually do well there. Kapadia stated, "We believe we lost at least ten million dollars in box office sales, as action movies typically succeed in the Middle East. We think it should have been released there. However, we must respect each region's and country's opinions, laws, and reasons."
He also mentioned that many movies before this one have been banned in the Gulf. "We definitely tried our hardest to make the release great. But I believe the movie has found its fans, even if not in the Gulf, then in other places," Kapadia stated. Even with this problem, Dhurandhar has still been popular worldwide. The movie has earned over 1,100 crore rupees globally, though experts in the film industry say it could have made even more if it had been released in the Gulf. The Gulf region has always been very important for Indian movies, especially action films, and not being released there has directly cost the movie's investors money.
Kapadia mentioned that the December holidays lessened the effect of the ban. Many fans in the Gulf, who usually watch Bollywood movies at home, saw the film while traveling internationally during their vacation. He said that some people he knew traveled from the Gulf to Europe or America in December and enjoyed the movie there. This was because the film came out during the holiday season in the second half of December, so people traveling made sure to set aside an evening to watch Dhurandhar. Aditya Dhar directed Dhurandhar, a two-part spy action movie set in Karachi's Lyari area. Ranveer Singh stars in it, with support from Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun.
Since the second part of Dhurandhar is planned for release around Eid in 2026, it's expected to reach an even larger audience worldwide.
