Why Dhurandhar 2’s OTT rights are split between Netflix and JioHotstar

Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar’s spy-action thriller Dhurandhar: The Revenge has once again become one of the entertainment industry’s biggest talking points – this time for its unconventional OTT strategy. Breaking away from the usual post-theatrical streaming model followed by most Indian films, Dhurandhar: The Revenge is opting for a split-platform release. While Netflix has already started streaming the film internationally, audiences in India will watch it on JioHotstar from June. The unusual arrangement has sparked industry curiosity over how the film’s digital rights were carved up and what it could signal for future OTT deals. The film’s OTT rollout explained After its theatrical release on March 19, 2026, Dhurandhar: The Revenge emerged as a global box-office success. Weeks of speculation around its OTT debut ended when Netflix announced that the film would start streaming internationally from May 15, 2026. However, Netflix’s release only covers overseas territories, such as the US, UK, Canada, UAE, and several other international markets. In India, the film will stream on JioHotstar instead. Dalam sequel #Dhurandhar ni, Hamza akan cuba musnahkan dunia jenayah 🔥 #DhurandharTheRevenge #RawAndUndekha bakal tiba di Netflix, 15 Mei. @RanveerOfficial @rampalarjun @duttsanjay @ActorMadhavan #AkshayeKhanna #SaraArjun @bolbedibol @AdityaDharFilms #JyotiDeshpande … pic.twitter.com/brsRL2IrH1 — Netflix Malaysia (@NetflixMY) May 14, 2026 JioHotstar has officially confirmed that the film will premiere on the platform on June 4 at 7 pm before becoming widely available for streaming starting from June 5. Adding to the buzz is the fact that both platforms are promoting the OTT release as the “Raw & Undekha” cut — an extended, less filtered version of the film. Netflix was the first to market the digital edition as featuring unseen footage and sequences that were not part of the theatrical release. The extended version reportedly includes restored action sequences, uncensored dialogues and additional violent scenes that were modified or trimmed during the theatrical release. Why are the rights split between Netflix and JioHotstar? The split stems from a combination of territorial rights arrangements and corporate ownership structures. According to multiple entertainment industry reports, JioHotstar acquired the domestic digital rights for Dhurandhar: The Revenge in a deal reportedly valued at around Rs 150 crore, marking a significant jump over the OTT valuation of the franchise’s first film. As a result, JioHotstar secured streaming rights for India, while Netflix picked up the international rights, paving the way for the film’s split-platform OTT rollout. View this post on Instagram The first Dhurandhar film had streamed on Netflix after its theatrical run and reportedly performed strongly on the platform. However, the sequel followed a different path. JioHotstar retained the domestic streaming rights within the Jio ecosystem, while Netflix secured rights for international territories. Jiostar is also handling a wider multi-platform rollout for the film beyond streaming. Alongside the OTT release, it is preparing a large television premiere strategy: The film will premiere on Star Gold, Star Gold 2 and Colors Cineplex on May 30 at 7 pm Regional broadcasts across Asianet, Star Vijay, Star Maa and Colors Kannada will follow on May 31. Where was the first Dhurandhar released? The original Dhurandhar film followed a more conventional OTT route. After its theatrical run, the first film premiered on Netflix India on January 30, 2026, where it reportedly performed strongly and trended across multiple regions. Its success on Netflix played a major role in increasing the value of the sequel’s digital rights. Reports suggest the franchise’s growing popularity led to aggressive bidding among streaming platforms before JioHotstar eventually secured the Indian rights for the sequel. Is this the first time an Indian film has split OTT rights like this? While the strategy is still relatively uncommon, several Indian films have previously experimented with split-language, regional, or territorial streaming deals. One of the most discussed examples is RRR , where the Hindi version streams on Netflix, while the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam versions are available on JioHotstar in India. Similarly, films such as Salaar also saw different streaming arrangements across languages and territories. However, Dhurandhar: The Revenge stands out because the split is largely territory-based rather than language-based. Both Netflix and JioHotstar are actively marketing the film simultaneously, and the OTT release includes a special “Raw & Undekha” version positioned almost like a second release window. This reflects a growing trend in Indian entertainment where studios are no longer treating OTT rights as a single-package deal. Instead, studios are increasingly dividing rights by region, language, platform, and audience segment to maximise revenue and reach. Also Read: Dhurandhar 2 turns into an ad goldmine as brands rush to lock cinema slots early A new OTT playbook for blockbuster franchises? The dual-platform strategy behind Dhurandhar: The Revenge highlights how major Indian film franchises are beginning to rethink post-theatrical distribution. Instead of choosing one streamer globally, studios are now leveraging different platforms for different markets. In this case, Netflix brings international scale, while JioHotstar offers domestic reach backed by the broader JioStar ecosystem. The film’s “Raw & Undekha” positioning also shows how OTT platforms are increasingly using extended cuts, uncensored editions and bonus content to recreate excitement even after a successful theatrical run. However, the Dhurandhar sequel is not the first Indian film to market its OTT release as an “uncensored”, “extended”, or “director’s cut” version after theatres. Ahead of its Netflix release, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga and several reports claimed the OTT version of Animal would include an “extended cut” with restored scenes and roughly 8–10 additional minutes, but when the film finally premiered on Netflix, viewers discovered that the version was almost identical to the theatrical release, leading to disappointment online. Reports and fan discussions around Pathaan and Jawan also suggested that slightly extended versions appeared digitally after theatres, with some additional scenes restored.