Showing posts with label Oman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oman. Show all posts
When films miss the Gulf market, how much does it impact?
8:17 AM
From Border 2 to Dhurandhar and The Diplomat, films remain unreleased across key Gulf markets — a pattern trade can’t ignore. We speak to experts to understand how it impacts business
Yashika Mathur (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 30, 2026)
Border 2, starring Sunny Deol, may be flying high at the Indian box office, but the war drama will not release across key Gulf markets including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. While no official reason has been issued, industry insiders point to the film’s India-Pakistan war backdrop and strong military narrative as the likely factor behind the decision, a pattern seen with several recent titles in the region.
Why the Gulf matters
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region remains a crucial overseas market for Hindi cinema, often contributing 3-5% of a big film’s global business. Trade figures suggest a well-performing Hindi film can earn between Rs. 30 crore and Rs. 50 crore from the region.
Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi explains: “For a film like Border 2, expectations are massive, so the loss is felt. At the same time, exhibitors in the Gulf also lose out by not being able to screen big titles. For Indian films, 3-5% of business going away is still a large number.”
Border 2 isn’t the first high-profile Hindi film to face resistance in the Gulf. Last year, Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar did not release in the region despite a strong global run. Earlier, The Diplomat, starring John Abraham, and Fighter, led by Hrithik Roshan, faced similar roadblocks, though Fighter was later cleared for release in the UAE.
Trade reactions
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh believes the impact varies by film: “A Shah Rukh Khan film would mean something very different in the Gulf compared to others. In Dhurandhar’s case, which has already done well without a Gulf release, the loss could be Rs. 20-40 crore. For Border 2, it’s early to judge, but business in other territories could compensate.”
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Film and TV Directors’ Association, has called for diplomatic clarity. “We are told India shares strong relations with the UAE. If a film talks about fighting terrorism, why should it be blocked?” he asks.
There was absolutely no confidence from the partners involved in The Diplomat-John Abraham
10:01 AM
Actor-producer John Abraham on the film’s box-office performance despite the lack of promotions and buzz
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 8, 2025)
John Abraham’s latest film The Diplomat may have released last month with barely a whisper, but it is quietly building momentum. Despite minimal pre-release buzz, the film has seen a steady rise in audience interest, with more shows being added across theatres.
“No one knew when The Diplomat released. There was absolutely no confidence from the partners involved in the film. I want to thank my critics and my audience for keeping it alive. The audience always finds the good films,” says the actor who also produced the film.
He takes pride in the fact that it didn’t depend on “nationalistic jingoism”, calling it a conscious decision. “We walked a thin line... Ritesh (Shah, screenwriter) wrote a banger of a script, but I also give credit to my director Shivam (Nair)... Shivam and I discussed very categorically that this cannot be a jingoism film,” the 52-year-old shares, adding, “Apne aap ko ooncha dikhane ke liye kisi aur ko neecha dikhane ki zarurat nahin hai. We’ve seen too many of them in the recent past.”
Leaning away from formulaic success, this is John’s second outing playing a secondary character to a female lead after Vedaa (2024). “It comes out of security,” he says, elaborating, “You have to be secure as an actor, and you need to know what your intention is. Do you want to keep playing a glorified lead, or do you want to tell a good story? You have to be a carrier of a good story, which is something that we must reinvent in our industry.”
On the ban in Middle East
The film has been banned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar. Shocked at this outcome, the actor opines, “People are very myopic in their vision. We have in no way demeaned anybody. We didn’t cheat anybody or sell our souls for the film. This is not an anti-Pakistan film. If anything, we’ve showed that the judiciary in Pakistan is honest.”
Swiss honeymoon for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas?
8:29 AM
Mini-vacay in Oman done, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas head to Switzerland month-end; to ring in New Year in Montreux
MID-DAY (December 15, 2018)
After her glitzy wedding in the first week of December, Priyanka Chopra has been working round the clock honouring her professional commitments. Though Nick Jonas and the actor did whisk off to Oman for few days, earlier this week, a honeymoon is in order for the newly-weds. For a love story that started in the US and saw its culmination in India where the two became man and wife, their next pit-stop is Europe. A friend of Chopra reveals that the two have zeroed in on Switzerland for their honeymoon and will head there by the month-end.
"PeeCee and Nick will take off for Switzerland by December 28. Their week-long vacation will include a stopover at Montreux; the two plan to ring in the New Year in the resort town on Lake Geneva. PeeCee wanted to finish her pending assignments before she took off for the honeymoon. She shot for Koffee With Karan on Wednesday, before heading to Isha Ambani's wedding. Come December 17, she will begin shooting for the new schedule of The Sky Is Pink, while simultaneously supervising the pre-production of her Bengali film, Nalini," reveals the friend.
Chopra's itinerary also includes the Mumbai reception for her industry friends - it is slated for December 20. "Nick and his family will return to Mumbai on December 18 to be part of the gala."
Turns out, the workaholic will have little respite after her Swiss vacation. The source adds, "As soon as she returns to the bay on January 10, Priyanka will resume the shoot of the Shonali Bose-directed venture."
PeeCee comes up trumps
Besides the milestone in her personal life, Chopra has reason to cheer in her professional sphere as well. The actor has topped the list of Most Trending Bollywood Stars 2018 (an annual list compiled by Google). Surprisingly, one-film-old Sara Ali Khan has bagged the second spot on the coveted list.
Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas' Mumbai reception to be on December 20
8:27 AM
The actress, who is currently honeymooning in Oman, is also gearing up to resume shooting for Shonali Bose’s directorial next week in the city
Avinash Lohana and Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 11, 2018)
B-town’s favourite jodi Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s wedding celebrations, which started with an engagement dinner at a luxury resort at Lake Como, concluded on December 1 with a star-studded party in Mumbai after 15 days. It featured two weddings and three receptions. But even before one could heave a sigh of relief, American singer Nick Jonas landed with band, baaja, parivaar and baraat at Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace on November 29 to tie the knot with actress Priyanka Chopra. The couple made a match of it with a white wedding on December 1, followed by the traditional pheras the next day and a reception in the capital on December 4, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The newly-weds have since taken off to the desert country of Oman for a honeymoon. End of the wedding story? Not yet. Mirror has learnt that one more celebration remains, a reception for industry friends on December 20 in Mumbai.
“Priyanka and Nick have zeroed in on a Bandra five-star and are in the final stages of discussion. Once the formalities are completed, they will start sending out the invites. They are looking forward to celebrating with friends in the city and are personally supervising the prep,” informed a source close to the development.
Meanwhile, Priyanka will get back to work after she returns from Oman later this week and resume shooting for Shonali Bose’s truelife story, the tentatively-titled The Sky Is Pink. She wrapped up the previous schedule days before her wedding celebrations kicked off on November 25. “A week-long schedule will begin in Mumbai from December 17 with Priyanka and Farhan (Akhtar) after which the team goes on a Christmas and New Year break,” informed a source.After shoots in Delhi, London and Mumbai, the last schedule will be in the Andamans and the film is expected to wrap up by January-end for a mid-2019 release. Producers Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur recently brought the Golden Globenominated Ivanhoe Pictures (the banner behind Crazy Rich Asians) on board as the co-producer and co-investing partner.
The Sky Is Pink is inspired by young motivational speaker, Aisha Chaudhary, who was born with an immune deficiency disorder and was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis when she was 13. While Priyanka and Farhan play her parents, Zaira Wasim plays the young trooper.
Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif shoot crucial scenes of Bharat in Mezyad Border Post in Abu Dhabi
8:10 AM
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; October 15, 2018)
After a schedule each in Mumbai and Malta, Salman Khan is currently shooting his ambitious film, Bharat, in Abu Dhabi. mid-day has learnt that the team of the Ali Abbas Zafar- directed venture filmed crucial scenes at the Mezyad Border Post over the past few days. Given the location’s proximity to the Oman border, soldiers of the UAE Army have apparently been standing guard over the shoot.
A source from the unit reveals, “Apart from Salman and Katrina’s [Kaif] personal bodyguards, the Dome security agency has been hired to ensure a smooth filming process. More importantly, soldiers from the United Arab Emirates Army, which patrols the border, are continuously present to make sure that no untoward incident takes place.”
A remake of the Korean film, An Ode To My Father, the movie is eyeing an Eid 2019 release and is moving at a brisk pace towards the deadline. The source adds that despite the mercury rising to a boiling 49 degree Celsius, the team has been dedicatedly working towards wrapping up the schedule. “Considering the scorching heat in Al Ain, the production team has put up several air-conditioned tents in the desert where we are filming,” says the source, adding that they are currently filming crucial romantic scenes between Katrina Kaif and Khan.
Talking about the challenging weather conditions, co-producer Nikhil Namit says, “We have 15 vanity vans and six AC tents on the location to ensure that the heat does not take a toll on the crew. We also have the army support because we are shooting near the Abu Dhabi-Oman border.”
Check out Sonam Kapoor's wedding diaries in Oman
7:49 AM
MUMBAI MIRROR (December 9, 2015)
After delivering a box office hit with Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Sonam
Kapoor seems to be unwinding by living out of a suitcase. After
travelling to Varanasi to celebrate Dev Deepavli (Kartik Poornima) with
mum Sunita, sister Rhea, interior decorator-art collector aunt Kaveeta
Singh and cousin Nandini J Singh, the actress took off to Oman to attend
the four-day wedding ceremony of friend Sasha Rawal to businessman
Samarth Bajaj. Sasha is the sister of fashion designer Kunal Rawal, who was a prominent fixture at the Shahid Kapoor-Mira Rajput wedding. While Sonam posed for pictures with her posse of gal pals, including Rhea, hotelier Samyukta Nair and fashion designer Shehlaa Khan, at the soon-to-bewed couple's mehendi and haldi ceremonies, her Mausam co-star was conspicuous by his absence. Also among the filmi squad were Jackky Bhagnani and Siddhant Kapoor, who were spotted hanging out with fellow baraati Rohan Shrestha, and Sonam's cousin, actor Arjun Kapoor's baby sister, Anshula Kapoor.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Jazbaa to be dubbed in Arabic
7:51 AM
Upala KBR (DNA; August 13, 2015)
For filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, this is a first. His next
release Jazbaa will be dubbed in Arabic for markets in Yemen, Oman,
Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as
well as parts of southern Iraq and Jordan — which collectively form the
Arabian Peninsula, also known as Arabia.
Jazbaa is being produced by Essel Vision Productions Ltd, (the creative and production studio of Zee Entertainment Enterprises ZEEL), actor/producer/entrepreneur Sachiin Joshi’s Viking Entertainment and Gupta’s White Feather Films.
Says Gupta, “Releasing it in Arabia was Essel Vision’s Business Head Akash Chawla’s brainchild. Zee Arabia is the biggest satellite channel in the Arabian peninsula and to have a platform as big as that, is wonderful. It’s certainly a first-of-its-kind release. The way the film is structured — it’s a hard-core, fast-paced, action thriller — makes it even better. That market is very receptive to this kind of cinema. It’s time to explore the non-traditional markets for films now. Everybody wants to see good movies. PK was released in China and went on to gross Rs 100 crore there. Who’d have thought the Chinese would love a film considered anti-religious in India?”
Gupta adds that they will add some songs in Arabic too. “The end credit song (the title track), composed by Sachin-Jigar, will be shot with a top Arabic singer there after which we will release it also as a promotional video in Arabia. We are still to shoot the Hindi track. For the dubbing bit, Zee has shortlisted some companies and will be selecting from the best vocal talent they have. Jazbaa is a bilingual, but not the typical kind!”
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