By Dhruvi Shah
Ranveer Singh’s Decked-out action film Dhurandhar has continued to thrive in the Indian box office and other international markets.
However, now it seems that a significant blow has hit Indian cinema with the news that six Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) have refused to allow the film to be screened in the Gulf region, effectively cutting off distribution of this film in one of Bollywood’s most profitable partnerships.
As reported by some sources in the film industry, the Censor Boards in these Gulf countries are primarily concerned with how the film is perceived in relation to Pakistan and the political underpinnings of the story.
An official from Bollywood Hungama said that officials have said that these nations see the film’s storyline as being anti-Pakistani, which is the same problem that several other films that explore the historic relationship between India and Pakistan have faced.
Therefore, despite attempts by the production team to produce an edited version that would have been more acceptable to these nations, they all have continued to have a ban placed on the film.
While the filmmakers were not completely taken aback by this ruling, it does present a unique barrier to what has been an incredibly successful run for Dhurandhar thus far.
Analysts have concluded that there is an increase in censorship for films that are based on the themes of the India-Pakistan conflict in the Gulf countries.
Recent years have seen the release of numerous Indian films encountering the same obstacles. Fighter, which stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, initially received approval for a release in the UAE, only for them to later suspend any type of release of the film.
Despite efforts, the filmmakers were unable to edit the film to meet certification requirements. At the same time, as we saw with Sky Force and The Diplomat, many movies received multiple territory bans earlier in the year, just like Article 370, which received no certification across all GCC countries. Tiger 3 was also banned in Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar, despite being a big franchise. The Kashmir Files ultimately did receive certification for release in the UAE, but is still banned in several other Gulf countries.
In addition to the films, you cannot do an overview of the political situation in the Gulf without mentioning the UAE and Pakistan’s long-standing strategic cooperation through providing economic aid to Pakistan, and the UAE also provides investment to Pakistan, as well as the UAE’s cooperation with Pakistan in defence.
The UAE has provided several billion dollars’ worth of guaranteed financing to help support Pakistan’s economy, but the UAE’s defence relationship with Pakistan is predominantly based on mutual trade and joint industry activity. The UAE sources some of its military equipment from Pakistan, while the UAE’s defence industry is rapidly growing towards domestic manufacturing and is benefiting from partnerships with other countries.
Despite not being able to enjoy box office success in the Gulf, Dhurandhar continues to dominate the domestic market.