Ranveer Singh's 'Dhurandhar' lost ₹90 crore due to ban in Gulf countries, says distributor

Dhurandhar, the spy espionage thriller directed by Aditya Dhar, became the highest-grossing Indian film abroad in 2025, collecting over ₹1,100 crore globally. Despite these figures, distributor Parnab Kapadia confirmed that a ban in several Middle Eastern countries led to estimated losses of at least ₹90 crore.

Kapadia explained that action films from India have historically performed well in the Middle East, making the setback particularly significant for Dhurandhar.

He said in an interview with CNN-News18, "I think this is at least a $10 million (around ₹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."

The ban meant Dhurandhar was not released in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, in addition to Pakistan. Over recent years, these territories have become vital markets for Indian cinema. Despite these setbacks, Dhurandhar still managed to outperform previous records set by Indian movies in international markets.

Data from the film's 26-day overseas run shows that Dhurandhar earned $27.5 million, including $17 million from North America alone. The impressive total of ₹1,101 crore worldwide was reached even without the anticipated contributions from Gulf states.

Addressing the reasons for the ban, Kapadia said, "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 before this, 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."

The distributor further pointed out that the December holiday season played a significant role in the film’s overseas success. Many potential viewers from the Gulf region were travelling to Europe and the US during the release window, providing them with opportunities to watch Dhurandhar abroad.

Dhurandhar stars Ranveer Singh as Hamza and features Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, and Sanjay Dutt. The film's success abroad, despite regional restrictions, demonstrates the resilience of Indian cinema's global reach.