No Release for Border 2 In Gulf: After Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar Sunny Deol Starrer Also Faces Ban

With just a day to go for its theatrical debut, Border 2, the first major Bollywood release of 2026, has already created strong buzz at the box office, reflected in robust advance bookings across several markets, reported Bollywood Hungama. While the film is expected to register a solid opening in India and overseas territories, moviegoers in the Gulf region are likely to miss out, as the film is not slated for release across the UAE and the wider GCC belt, reported Bollywood Hungama.

A source of Bollywood Hungama informed the news channel that Border 2 will not be released in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, adding that films perceived to carry “anti-Pakistan” content often fail to secure clearance in these regions, reported Bollywood Hungama. The source further revealed that despite efforts made by the makers to obtain approval, those attempts have so far been unsuccessful, though there remains a slim hope with just one day left before release, reported Bollywood Hungama.

The Bollywood Hungama source also pointed out that Dhurandhar was recently denied release in the same territories, but clarified that the makers of Border 2 are not overly concerned, confident that strong audience response can push the film’s box-office collections to great heights, reported Bollywood Hungama. It was added that Dhurandhar performed impressively at the ticket window, making the loss of Gulf revenues largely insignificant, and the team hopes Border 2 will mirror that success, reported Bollywood Hungama.

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This trend is not new, as Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 (2023) was also barred from releasing in the Gulf region due to similar concerns, reported Bollywood Hungama. Likewise, Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s Fighter (2024) was initially banned across all Gulf countries except the UAE, following objections to its depiction of the Pulwama attack and allegations of promoting an “anti-Pakistan” agenda, reported Bollywood Hungama.

Shockingly, even the UAE suspended the film’s release a day later, prompting the makers of Fighter to submit a re-edited version after removing certain scenes and dialogues considered problematic, reported Bollywood Hungama. However, the revised cut was also rejected by the UAE authorities, reported Bollywood Hungama.

In 2025, Akshay Kumar-starrer Sky Force and John Abraham-starrer The Diplomat were banned in several Middle Eastern countries over content-related concerns, as both films dealt with Pakistan-centric themes, reported Bollywood Hungama. Article 370 (2024), based on the revocation of the controversial constitutional provision in Kashmir, was also denied certification in the GCC region, reported Bollywood Hungama.

Similarly, Salman Khan’s Tiger 3 (2023) was banned in Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar, while The Kashmir Files (2022) faced bans in multiple Gulf states, though the UAE later cleared it with an adults-only certificate, reported Bollywood Hungama.