Sunny Deol’s trademark roar, ‘Border 2’ landed in cinemas across India today. The buzz is loud, the theatres are packed, and the tricolour vibes are strong. But while India is celebrating the film’s release, the story is very different in the Gulf countries. Yep, the war drama has been banned there, and that’s now the biggest talking point around the film.
A massive release at home
‘Border 2’ is one of the widest Hindi releases ever hitting more than 4,000 screens across the country. That’s no small deal.
Trade experts say the makers are clearly betting big on the Republic Day weekend, hoping audiences turn up in huge numbers.
After all, war films and national holidays are a proven combo at the box office.
Why Gulf countries banned ‘Border 2’
So, what went wrong overseas? According to a report by Bollywood Hungama, the film will not be released in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The reason is familiar and sensitive.
Films that are seen as having “anti-Pakistan” content often struggle to get clearance in this region. ‘Border 2’ falls into that zone. The makers did try their luck and submitted the film for approval, but their efforts did not work.
Interestingly, ‘Border 2’ is not alone. Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar’ faced the same fate recently and was also blocked from releasing in the Gulf.
About ‘Border 2’
For those curious about the story, ‘Border 2’ is the sequel to JP Dutta’s iconic 1997 film ‘Border’. This time, the film goes bigger. It revisits the 1971 India-Pakistan war and shows joint operations of the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has cleared ‘Border 2’ with a U/A (13+) certificate.
The runtime is a hefty 3 hours and 16 minutes, making it one of the longest Indian war dramas in recent years.