R Madhavan Reveals Fans Flew From Dubai To Watch Dhurandhar Despite GCC Ban

Ever since its release, Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, has remained a major talking point for its high-octane action sequences, themes rooted in the India-Pakistan conflict, and portrayal of freedom struggles. Released on December 5, 2025, the Ranveer Singh-starrer created history at the box office by breaking multiple records. However, the film faced a setback when it was banned across six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations - the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly $10 million.

Speaking about the ban, R Madhavan said in an interview with Sonia Shenoy on her YouTube channel, "If you look at Dhurandhar, people from Dubai actually flew down, for one day, to watch the film and then flew back. That is the power of good content."

With expectations running high for the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, scheduled to release on March 19, 2026, Madhavan added, "Now they're planning their business meetings around March 19 when Dhurandhar 2 is releasing. They'll go there for meetings, watch the film, and then return, as it's banned in the UAE. For them, it would be so easy to just watch it on IPTV, okay? And I'm sure they could. But they want to experience watching a film like Dhurandhar in a theatre full of people. That gives you a community experience. Cinema allows that. Watching the same film alone at home feels completely different. It's like performing dandiya in front of the TV. Dandiya is something you go out and play on the ground, with people around you."

During the interview, Madhavan also reflected on the film's storyline based on the India-Pakistan conflict, saying, "Traditionally, we've been making movies around the India - Pakistan war or our freedom struggle. That has been our action space and our core go-to in terms of storytelling. But the younger generation doesn't even want that anymore. They're like samajh gaya main, kitni baar bologe? (I've understood it, how many times will you say it?) And I think after Dhurandhar, that whole India - Pakistan thing is going to go. That's the full stop now."

In an earlier conversation with CNN-News18, the film's overseas distributor Pranab Kapadia revealed the impact of the ban on its box office performance, "I think this is at least a ten million dollar box office that we have lost, because traditionally action films have always performed very well in the Middle East. And therefore we feel that it should have gotten a a release. We are not the first film where they have not given a release. Fighter also was not released before this, and several others. So we of course made a full attempt at ensuring that we put our best foot forward for the release. But I think ultimately, the film has found its audience, if not in the Gulf, then elsewhere."