Bollywood’s action spectacle, Dhurandhar, has become one of the year’s top money-makers, elevating Indian cinema’s presence at the global box office.

The film has already collected over ₹1100 crores, yet it’s surprising to learn it incurred a loss of nearly ₹90 crores in revenue from a single territory.

The Gulf market stands as a significant revenue source for Bollywood films, with Hindi movies, followed by Malayalam, being highly popular there. However, Dhurandhar’s anti-Pakistan narrative, which exposed the hypocrisy of India’s enemy, led to its ban across several Gulf nations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain.

Overseas distributor Pranab Kapadia confirmed the film faced an estimated ₹90 crore loss because it was not released in the Gulf region. Discussing this setback, Kapadia mentioned that action films typically perform very well in Gulf countries, and Dhurandhar was anticipated to achieve similar success.

Even with the ₹90 crore financial hit from the Middle East, Dhurandhar continues to draw strong collections in other regions. Many audience members connected deeply with the geo-political emotions presented in the movie.

The film’s journey highlights the unique challenges faced by Indian cinema, especially for action blockbusters like Dhurandhar, when navigating international markets and geopolitical sensitivities, as seen with the Gulf ban.