Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar dominates Netflix worldwide, emerges No. 1 in Pakistan

New Delhi: Filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s espionage thriller Dhurandhar has emerged as a global streaming success, securing the No. 1 position on Netflix’s worldwide Top 10 list for non-English films.

According to Netflix’s Tudum weekly rankings for 26 January to 1 February, Dhurandhar recorded 7.6 million views globally, with particularly strong traction in India and several South Asian markets. The film, led by Ranveer Singh, also topped Netflix’s Top 10 Movies list in Pakistan—an outcome that has drawn attention given the film’s political backdrop and the absence of Indian theatrical releases in the country.

Streaming since 30 January, Dhurandhar had already enjoyed a massive theatrical run, earning over ₹1,300 crore at the box office, cementing its status as one of the biggest Hindi film successes of the year.

Set largely in Lyari, Karachi—an area historically associated with gang violence—the film weaves a high-stakes narrative around covert intelligence missions against the backdrop of real-world events such as the Kandahar hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The geopolitical themes appear to have fuelled discussion online, with viewers debating the film’s realism, performances and political messaging.

The film’s performance in Pakistan has stood out at a time when Indian films have largely been absent from Pakistani theatres for several years due to reciprocal restrictions. As a result, streaming platforms such as Netflix have become one of the primary avenues through which Indian titles are now accessed by audiences across the border, the Variety reported.

Beyond India and Pakistan, Dhurandhar has performed strongly across South Asia, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Despite reports that it did not receive a release in certain Gulf countries due to its alleged anti-Pakistan narrative, the film is trending across the region. Netflix data shows it ranking No. 1 in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, while also featuring in the Top 10 in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The ensemble cast includes Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan and Sara Arjun.

The buzz doesn’t end here. The sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is set for a theatrical release on 19 March in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. The follow-up will continue the arc of Ranveer Singh’s character Jaskirat Singh Rangi, also known as Hamza Ali Mazari, tracing his evolution from spy to feared gangster while unpacking his past.

Dhurandhar is produced by Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar under B62 Studios, in association with Jio Studios, led by Jyoti Deshpande.