A spy’s memory is usually their biggest weapon. Udta Teer, now running in theatres, asks what happens when that memory is wiped out — and the answer flips the modern spy thriller on its head.
Ayushmann Khurrana plays Bilal Ahmad, a Pakistani mole planted inside an Indian security agency. After a sudden blast, he forgets his real mission and becomes convinced he is Vikrant, a hyper-patriotic Indian soldier out to defeat the enemy. With Sachin-Jigar’s reworking of Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Nayak Nahin Khalnayak behind him, his new loyalty sends his wife (Sara Ali Khan, in a small role), fellow operatives Suhail Nayyar and Brijendra Kala, and his handlers into chaos. Mukul Dev plays Azhar Maqsood, the terrorist on the other side.
A high-concept hook with a satirical target
First-time director Aakash Kaushik gets the logline right: one sentence is enough to create curiosity. The film is backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma and Guneet Monga’s Sikhya, and The Hindu’s review places it as a deliberate inversion of the grim, chest-thumping action wave that has dominated recent Hindi cinema. Instead of celebrating a hero who never doubts his cause, Udta Teer uses memory loss to hold a mirror to spy games on both sides of the border.
That is a promising political farce. The review says the film is at its sharpest when Bilal’s amnesia levels the two sides, briefly shaking the audience out of jingoistic assumptions by showing that each side has its own version of the enemy.
Casting and comic choices
Kaushik leans on actors who are not usually pure comedy: Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor and Gulshan Grover are dropped into the chaos. Ayushmann Khurrana keeps Bilal watchable by playing him as a man unsettled by losing his identity, rather than a cartoon. The review notes that his everyday vulnerability keeps the film afloat even when the jokes lose their bite.
But the writing does not stay on the sharper road. Drawing on his experience with the Housefull and Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchises, Kaushik reaches for rapid pacing and slapstick. The review says the result drifts into lowbrow gags and, after briefly taking the riskier path, settles for familiar Pakistan-baiting and nationalistic fervour.
What the review means for fans
- The idea is stronger than the execution: a spy forgetting his loyalty is a clever genre flip.
- The actor is the reason to watch: Ayushmann keeps the character human even in broad scenes.
- The tone is mixed: a sharp geopolitical farce turns into crowd-pleasing buffoonery.
If you go for Ayushmann’s charm and a mainstream comedy that plays with a spy-movie idea, Udta Teer is in cinemas now. Just don’t expect it to stay as risky as the title promises.
Source: The Hindu