‘Dhurandhar was the most-watched non-English movie in the world this year’: Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos

Talking about the increasing trend of Indian content around the globe, Ted said that India has already arrived and Dhurandhar is setting an example.

Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, has yet again achieved something remarkable. Not long after making history at the box office, the Aditya Dhar directorial has got international acclaim from Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, who said that the film is the most-watched non-English film this year. Talking about the increasing trend of Indian content around the globe, Ted said that India has already arrived and Dhurandhar is setting an example.

Ted Sarandos reveals Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar was Netflix's biggest non-English film worldwide this year.

What Ted Sarandos said

Speaking at Express Adda, Ted Sarandos shared how strongly the film performed on the platform. “Dhurandhar was the most-watched non-English movie in the world this year. Bigger than every other English [movie] and second only to the US and the UK in terms of watching,” he said.

The first movie garnered 37 million views from January to June 2026. It also was number one on the Netflix list of 22 countries. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the Dhurandhar franchise earned more than ₹3,100 crore in worldwide collection through two movies. The second installment, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, became the first Bollywood film ever to surpass ₹1,000 crore mark in net in India.

'India has that moment all the time'

Ted Sarandos also answered a question raised whenever one talks about Indian entertainment on the international stage—that is, when would India get its very own Squid Game or Money Heist?

His answer was simple. “I hear a lot when I travel around the world, particularly in India, is like what happened with Squid Game, what happened with La casa de papel, when is India going to have that moment? And I say India has that moment all the time. It’s much more likely to be in cinema. I think, right now, because there is this enormous, beautiful, rich, long history of movies in India. I think when we came in and made Sacred Games, it was a whole different kind of television, so through most of the history and all that that’s coming through, it’s likely to come through in the form of cinema,” he added.

Indian content continues to travel across the world

Ted brought to light the increasing international demand for Indian movies and TV series on the streaming service, stating that Indian content has been among the top-rated globally on the platform. He said that there has been an Indian movie or TV series in the top 10 globally for each week since 2024. He ttributed this success to Netflix's recommendation algorithm, which helps viewers discover content they will enjoy. He therefore announced that 3.5 billion hours of Indian content have been watched this year by the audience globally.

The first Dhurandhar released in theatres in December 2025 before making its Netflix debut shortly ahead of the sequel's theatrical release in March 2026. Dhurandhar: The Revenge is now streaming in India on both Netflix and JioHotstar.