ISLAMABAD: Indian Bollywood film Dhurandhar has been banned across all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states for promoting an anti-Pakistan narrative.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have refused to screen the movie, saying it carries content that misrepresents Pakistan.
The film is loosely based on figures from Lyari’s gang culture, including Rehman Dakait and martyred police officer Chaudhry Aslam.
Covering events from 2007 to 2018, the movie is framed as an action-packed underworld thriller.
The film portrays Pakistani characters in an exaggerated and negative manner, presenting Lyari and its people as criminals or underworld heroes while ignoring the real security context.
The storyline depicts Pakistan as unsafe and crime-ridden country. The events of the said period are largely exaggerated and even the real heroes like Chaudhry Aslam are depicted as evil.
According to critics, Dhurandhar paints Lyari as a lawless war zone, which does not reflect ground realities. The GCC states said such misleading content was the main reason for banning the film.
Despite an attempt made by the team of Dhurandhar for screening of the movie, the countries did not approve of the theme of the film. Due to this the movie has suffered major losses.
