Six Gulf countries have blocked the theatrical release of Ranveer Singh’s new spy thriller Dhurandhar. 

 

According to reports, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all rejected the film after reviewing its content.

 

An Indian media outlet quoted a source as saying that officials perceived the film as anti-Pakistan in nature, noting that similar productions have consistently failed to secure releases in the region. Despite the filmmakers' efforts to gain approval, all six countries refused to clear the film for screening.

 

Director Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar follows an Indian spy who operates in Karachi's Lyari neighbourhood. The trailer positions Lyari as "the very core of terrorism in Pakistan" and shows Singh's character arriving to "wipe out terrorism" from the area.

 

The film features Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal, a character the trailer claims controls Pakistani politics. R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna round out the cast.

 

Notably, the production incorporates real figures from Karachi's recent past.

 

Sanjay Dutt portrays the late SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan, who served as a counter-terrorism police officer in Karachi. Akshaye Khanna plays Abdul Rehman Baloch, known as Rehman Dakait, a gang leader who died in a police encounter. 

 

The filmmakers market Dhurandhar as "inspired by incredible true events". However, the connections the film draws between these Karachi figures and cross-border terror lack any documented basis. 

 

The trailer also features imagery resembling the 1999 Indian Airlines hijacking in Kandahar, suggesting the film weaves multiple narratives together under its "true events" claim.

 

Dhurandhar becomes the latest Indian production to face Gulf region bans. The pattern has accelerated in recent years as Bollywood produces more films centered on Pakistan and regional conflicts.