Dhurandhar suffered at least ₹90 crore loss due to ban in Middle East, says distributor

FIlmmaker Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar has tattered package power records, crossover $27 gazillion in the overseas territories alone to emerge as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025. However, the film’s overseas earnings could have been significantly higher had it not been banned in several Middle Eastern markets. In a recent interview with CNN-News18, Dhurandhar’s distributor, Parnab Kapadia, revealed that the ban resulted in a substantial financial loss.Impact of Dhurandhar's ban in the Middle EastSpeaking about how the ban impacted the film’s international business, Parnab said, “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.”He added, “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.”Parnab further explained that the December holiday season played a crucial role in helping the film reach audiences who might otherwise have watched it in the Gulf. He noted that many people travel overseas during this period, particularly from the Middle East to Europe or the US. Since the film was released during the latter half of December, a peak holiday window, travelling audiences were able to make time to watch Dhurandhar, often setting aside an evening during their trips.Dhurandhar's overseas runDhurandhar faced non-release in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, along with Pakistan. All these countries have been big markets for Indian films in the recent years. Despite the ban, Dhurandhar has been the most successful Indian film overseas in 2025. The Ranveer-starrer has earned $27.5 million overseas in 26 days, including $17 million from the North American market alone. This has enabled the film to collect ₹1101 crore globally.About DhurandharDirected by Aditya Dhar, the spy action thriller stars Ranveer Singh as Hamza, an Indian spy who infiltrates Rehman Dakait's (Akshaye Khanna) gang in Pakistan’s Lyari to pass on critical intelligence to RAW from the ISI network. The film also features Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt, with Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun playing key roles.Fans are now eagerly awaiting the sequel, which is scheduled to hit theatres on March 19, 2026. The film will clash with Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups.