As the buzz around Border 2 continues to heighten ahead of its release, the film is now seemingly facing a setback in the global markets. New reports have emerged suggesting that just like Aditya Dhar`s Dhurandhar, the first big release of 2026, Border 2 will not be released in the Gulf countries.
Border 2 banned in Gulf countries
According to a Bollywood Hungama report, “Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE will not be releasing Border 2. By now, it`s given that films perceived as having `anti-Pakistan` content don`t get a release in this belt. Yet, the team of Border 2 did make an attempt, and sadly, their attempts proved futile. One day is left for release, and the hope is still there that they pass the film, though the possibility seems remote.”
The source reportedly added, “Recently, even Dhurandhar was not allowed a release in the same region. However, the makers of Border 2 are not losing sleep over it as they are aware that if the film manages to strike a chord with the moviegoers, the sky would be the limit in terms of its collections. Even Dhurandhar excelled at the ticket window, and the money lost due to no release in the UAE/GCC belt didn`t matter. Hopefully, Border 2 will go the same way.”
Notably, despite its success in India and other countries, Dhurandhar too faced a ban in several Middle Eastern nations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The ban in the Gulf region reportedly resulted in an estimated loss of Rs 90 crore (USD 10 million) in overseas earnings. Dhurandhar`s overseas distributor, Pranab Kapadia, told CNN-News18 that the ban led to a massive loss of around USD 10 million. He also noted that the Gulf market is especially important for Indian action films, since the films traditionally perform well there.
Other films which faced hurdles in the Gulf
Notably, film facing hurdles in the Middle East is not new. Politically sensitive Bollywood titles have experienced a similar fate. Films including Sky Force, The Diplomat, Article 370, Tiger 3, and several others have faced release hurdles in the Gulf over the portrayal of India-Pakistan relations or geopolitical themes.
Similarly, Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, also faced a similar situation. The Gulf belt has often resisted releasing films with anti-Pakistani content because of its India and Pakistan relations respectively
