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Border 2 'banned' in Middle East: Like Dhurandhar, Sunny Deol film won't release in Gulf over 'anti-Pakistan' sentiment
Border 2 is releasing worldwide today, with the exception of six Gulf countries, similar to how it was the case with Dhurandhar.
Border 2, the heavily anticipated sequel to Border, released in cinemas this Friday (January 23) worldwide. The film, directed by Anurag Singh, marks Sunny Deol’s return, and teams him up with young stars like Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty. While the film is getting a wide release in India and most overseas markets, just like Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar, it will also not get a release in the Middle East, due to its perceived ‘anti-Pakistan’ sentiment.
Border 2 ‘banned’ in Middle East
Border 2 is a war drama set during the 1971 India-Pakistan War, with Sunny, Varun, Diljit, and Ahan all playing Indian soldiers. The film uses fictional events and real incidents to tell a tale of the valour of the Indian Armed Forces during the war, where Pakistan was the adversary.
Bollywood Hungama reported that the film will not find a release in six Gulf countries due to its subject matter. “Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE will not be releasing Border 2. By now, it's a given that films perceived as having 'anti-Pakistan' content don’t get a release in this belt,” the report stated. Sources confirmed this non-release to HT clarifying that while there is no official ban in place on the film in any of these countries, the Gulf nations are averse to releasing films that show Pakistan in a negative light.
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, released in December, was also not released in these six countries for the same reason. Dhurandhar was a spy thriller that focused on how the gangs of Karachi supplied arms to terror groups funded by Pakistan. The film was a massive box-office success despite its non-release in the Gulf.
About Border 2
Border 2 is expected to take a massive opening at the box office, with figures of ₹32-35 crore floating around in the trade circles. This would make it the biggest openings of Diljit, Varun, and Ahan’s careers, while the second-biggest for Sunny after Gadar 2.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, J.P. Dutta, and Nidhi Dutta, the film also stars Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, and Anya Singh in pivotal roles.
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