Dhurandhar Producers Seek PM Modi’s Intervention To Lift Ban On Ranveer Singh’s Movie In Middle East

The
Indian
Motion
Picture
Producers’ Association
has
urged
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
to
step
in
after
several
Middle
Eastern
countries
blocked
the
release
of
Dhurandhar,
even
as
the
spy
thriller
breaks
box
office
records
and
becomes
the
highest-grossing
Hindi
film
in
India.
The
ban
affects
planned
releases
in
the
UAE,
Bahrain,
Kuwait,
Qatar,
Oman,
and
Saudi
Arabia,
despite
Dhurandhar
securing
an
A
certificate
from
the
Central
Board
of
Film
Certification
before
its
December
release
and
running
successfully
across
India
as
a
major
commercial
hit.

Dhurandhar
ban
draws
protest
from
IMPPA

IMPPA,
which
represents
filmmakers
from
multiple
Indian
film
industries,
has
called
the
move
a
curb
on
creative
rights,
saying
the
decision
by
Middle
Eastern
authorities
is
“unilateral
and
uncalled
for”
and
undermines
the
freedom
of
expression
of
the
producer
and
the
wider
film
fraternity.

“We
earnestly
appeal
to
your
kind
self
to
intervene
regarding
the
unilateral
and
uncalled-for
ban
imposed
on
the
film
‘Dhurandhar’
by
the
UAE,
Bahrain,
Kuwait,
Qatar,
Oman
and
Saudi
Arabia.
Our
member
producer
has
made
this
film
and
has
released
the
same
after
getting
certification
by
the
Central
Board
of
Film
Certification,
and
the
ban
imposed
by
the
above
countries
is
a
suppression
of
the
Freedom
of
Expression
of
our
member,
as
the
film
has
emerged
as
one
of
the
biggest
hits
in
Indian
cinema,” read
the
letter.

Diplomatic
angle
to
Dhurandhar
ban
and
IMPPA
appeal

The
organisation
also
highlighted
India’s
wider
ties
with
the
region
and
asked
the
Centre
to
raise
the
Dhurandhar
ban
at
a
diplomatic
level,
noting
that
these
nations
are
described
as
India-friendly
and
share
trade
links
across
several
important
economic
sectors
beyond
entertainment.

“We,
as
representatives
of
the
largest
and
oldest
Producers’ Association,
IMPPA,
request
you
earnestly
with
folded
hands
to
kindly
intervene,
as
the
UAE,
Bahrain,
Kuwait,
Qatar,
Oman,
and
Saudi
Arabia
are
India-friendly
countries,
and
we
conduct
regular
business
with
them
across
multiple
sectors.
We
therefore
humbly
request
that
the
Government
of
India
take
up
this
matter
with
the
concerned
authorities
in
these
countries
and
make
efforts
to
ensure
that
freedom
of
expression
is
respected
and
the
ban
is
revoked
at
the
earliest,”
the
letter,
signed
by
IMPPA
President
Abhay
Sinha,
added.

Dhurandhar
ban
overshadows
film’s
record
performance

Dhurandhar,
directed
by
Aditya
Dhar,
features
Ranveer
Singh
as
an
Indian
spy
operating
in
Pakistan,
alongside
Akshaye
Khanna,
Arjun
Rampal,
Sanjay
Dutt,
and
R
Madhavan,
and
has
grown
into
a
major
global
success
for
the
Hindi
film
industry.

The
film’s
financial
performance
is
outlined
below.

The
makers
have
planned
Dhurandhar
as
a
two-part
franchise,
with
the
sequel
scheduled
for
an
Eid
2026
release,
and
the
dispute
over
the
Dhurandhar
ban
in
West
Asian
markets
now
sits
alongside
the
film’s
strong
box
office
run
and
growing
industry
impact.