The delicate line between cinematic entertainment and geopolitical sensitivity was sharply defined this week as the highly anticipated Bollywood spy thriller, Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, was reportedly banned across six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations. The reason cited by multiple reports points directly to the film’s perceived “anti-Pakistan messaging,” reigniting a familiar but potent debate over how Indian cinema depicts its neighbor.
Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar all refused to grant the film a certificate for theatrical release. This unified decision is a major blow to the film’s international revenue, as the Gulf region, home to a massive South Asian diaspora, is one of the most lucrative overseas markets for Bollywood.
The Contentious Plot and Political Tropes
Directed by Aditya Dhar, known for the nationalistic war film Uri: The Surgical Strike, Dhurandhar is an espionage thriller centered on an Indian spy deployed to infiltrate a militant group allegedly operating out of Karachi’s Lyari area. The plot, which reportedly draws inspiration from events concerning covert R&AW missions, utilizes a narrative that has become increasingly common in high-budget Indian films: the heroic Indian agent battling a Pakistani-based threat.
While the film has been a massive box-office hit in India, its content was deemed too politically charged for the Gulf region’s censors. The decision underscores the GCC’s growing reluctance to allow content that could fuel political controversy or offend the large and diverse Pakistani expatriate communities residing in these countries.
Indian film “Dhurandhar” has been banned across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, and will not be screened in cinemas due to its “anti-Pakistan” content. pic.twitter.com/oCIHkNIO3x
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) December 11, 2025
A Growing Pattern of Censorship
The ban is not an isolated incident. Dhurandhar joins a growing list of Indian films, including Fighter, Article 370, and The Diplomat, that have faced similar restrictions in Middle Eastern territories over content deemed politically sensitive or unnecessarily antagonistic toward Pakistan.
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The recurrent nature of these bans highlights a critical issue for Bollywood: the reliance on reductive, ‘us-versus-them’ narratives as a formula for domestic success is proving to be a commercial liability in crucial global markets. The GCC’s rejection sends a powerful signal that cinematic diplomacy matters, and narratives that continually cast Pakistan in an antagonist role risk cultural and economic exclusion.
