Dhurandhar, earlier banned, becomes top movie on Netflix Pakistan after OTT release: Indian films, web series dominate

Indian films are clearly dominating Netflix viewership in Pakistan, according to FlixPatrol. Dhurandhar holds the number one position just two days after its OTT release. This is Interesting because Aditya Dhar’s movie was banned from theatrical release in Pakistan.

Before the spy thriller became the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, it was not allowed to be released in Pakistan, primarily due to its allegedly negative portrayal of the country. The movie created massive buzz in Pakistan anyway.

Many Pakistani celebrities credited Bollywood for turning a story from Pakistan’s mainland into a successful movie. They accused their own film industry of failing to do so.

On social media, many Pakistani viewers expressed interest in watching the movie. In fact, according to some reports, Dhurnadhar became the “most pirated movie in Pakistan”.

Out of the top 10 titles, a majority are Indian productions. Films such as Tere Ishk Mein, De De Pyaar De 2, Mardaani 2, Mardaani and Jolly LLB 3 continue to attract steady viewership, according to FlixPatrol.

Tere Ishk Mein, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, remained at the top in Pakistan until Dhurandhar took the lead.

Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna and Sanjay Dutt among others, is also the top movie on Netflix in Asian countries such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Kuwait, the Maldives, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates.

Even in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, Dhurandhar is among the Top 10 movies on the OTT giant, according to FlixPatrol. In the United States, the movie reached the Top 10 on the day of its OTT release. However, it moved out the following day.

Haq, starring Emraan Hashmi and Aditya Dhar’s better-half Yami Gautam, is also among the top movies on Netflix in Pakistan. The film has pushed down The Big Fake to enter the Top 3.

The film, which had its OTT release a month back, is still among the Top 3 films. The courtroom drama explores the intersection of Islamic Personal Law and Indian Constitutional Law.

Many of these movies remain in the rankings for up to 10 weeks. This consistency shows sustained demand for Indian cinema in Pakistan.

Only a few non-Indian titles, including The Big Fake, The Rip and 96 Minutes, appear on the list. Most of those films rank below Indian films.

Indian web series dominate Netflix Pakistan

Even Indian web series continue to dominate Netflix’s TV show rankings in Pakistan. According to the latest Top 10 list, Bridgerton holds the number one spot. It claimed the top position on 31 January.

Before that, Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web ruled Pakistan charts on Netflix for weeks. Starring Emraan Hashmi, the web series is about international smuggling rackets operating in Mumbai.

The Great Indian Kapil Show has seen a major jump, climbing 5 places to rank 4th. The latest episode features AR Rahman, Vijay Sethupathi and Aditi Rao Hydari. The comedy show has stayed on the list for over 330 days.

Global titles like Stranger Things, The Vampire Diaries and Jujutsu Kaisen are present but have slipped down the rankings. HIS & HERS has also gained momentum, moving up to third.