Sunny Deol’s highly anticipated war film Border 2 will not release in six Gulf countries despite strong advance bookings ahead of its January 23, 2026 theatrical debut. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have denied the film a release over its perceived anti-Pakistan narrative.
The ban follows an emerging pattern in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, where Indian films centered on patriotic or politically sensitive themes increasingly face censorship. Border 2 becomes the second Hindi film this year to encounter such restrictions, following Dhurandhar’s similar fate in 2025.
Check Out: Border 2 Gets U/A 13+ With Zero Cuts, New ‘Braves Of The Soil’ Trailer Honors Armed Forces
According to industry reports, the film’s producers made attempts to secure clearance in Gulf markets but were unsuccessful. Despite this setback, the makers remain confident about the film’s domestic box office prospects, banking on the strong legacy of JP Dutta’s 1997 classic Border and Sunny Deol’s widespread appeal among Indian audiences.
This marks another instance where Deol’s patriotic films have encountered Gulf restrictions. His 2023 blockbuster Gadar 2 faced similar bans across several Middle Eastern territories, yet went on to achieve massive commercial success domestically, indicating that the Gulf market loss had minimal impact on overall performance.
The trend of banning Indian patriotic films has accelerated in recent years. Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s Fighter (2024), which depicted the Pulwama attack, was initially banned across most Gulf nations except the UAE. In 2025, both Sky Force starring Akshay Kumar and The Diplomat featuring John Abraham were denied release in multiple Middle Eastern countries.
Other notable casualties include Article 370 (2024), which covered the abrogation of Kashmir’s special constitutional status, and Tiger 3 (2023) starring Salman Khan, which was blocked in Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. The Kashmir Files (2022) initially faced bans in several Gulf states, though the UAE eventually cleared it with an adults-only certificate.
Despite the Gulf setback, Border 2 is tracking for a strong opening at the Indian box office. The film features an ensemble cast including Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan, and Ahaan Shetty, and is directed by Kesari filmmaker Anurag Singh. Trade analysts report sharp increases in advance bookings, suggesting robust domestic demand for the war drama.
The recurring pattern of Gulf bans on Indian patriotic films reflects the region’s sensitivity toward content involving India-Pakistan narratives. However, recent box office trends demonstrate that Indian producers are increasingly prioritizing domestic market performance over Gulf releases when developing films with nationalistic themes.
With India’s growing theatrical market and expanding multiplex infrastructure, filmmakers appear willing to forego Gulf revenues rather than dilute their creative vision. Border 2’s performance over the coming weeks will further test this strategy as the industry watches whether domestic collections can fully compensate for the loss of one of Bollywood’s traditionally lucrative overseas markets.
