Nepal Blocks Ayushmann Khurrana's Udta Teer Screening
Nepal has refused Ayushmann Khurrana's Udta Teer permission for public screening ahead of its Oct. 23 release. What the order says and what is unclear.
Ayushmann Khurrana's spy comedy Udta Teer has hit a roadblock days before release, and it is not at home. Nepal's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has refused the Hindi film permission for public screening, according to reports from Bollywood Hungama, Hindustan Times and the Kathmandu outlets OnlineKhabar and Koligram Post. The film, which also stars Sara Ali Khan, is due in Indian cinemas on Oct. 23. Here is what the order says, why a Nepali critic thinks it was issued, and what remains unclear.
What the letter says
Bollywood Hungama, which says it has seen a copy of the order, reports that the decision was communicated to the makers by a section officer at the ministry, Bishal Bhandari. The outlet says the letter is dated Ashwin 30, 2083 in Nepal's Bikram Sambat calendar, which it puts at Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.
The letter went to the film's distributor, National Cine Group Nepal. Hindustan Times, citing India Today, reports that the ministry's Audio-Visual and Broadcasting Division acted after Nepal's Central Film Censor Board examined the film and found that it breached a provision of the country's film law. Based on that finding, the ministry decided not to allow a public release. The letter carries the subject line "Regarding permission for public exhibition," the paper adds.
Most reports, including those in Hindustan Times, OnlineKhabar and Koligram Post, cite Section 8(3) of Nepal's Film (Production, Exhibition and Distribution) Act. Bollywood Hungama's account of the same letter gives a different section number, so the exact clause cannot be confirmed from the coverage alone.
Why Nepal said no, according to reports
The ministry has not publicly explained its reasoning. Hindustan Times notes that the authorities have not revealed what exactly prompted the move.
OnlineKhabar offers the clearest outline of the law. It reports that Section 8(3) bars the censor board from approving a film, or any part of it, that is considered harmful to Nepal's security, peace and order, its relations with friendly countries, or harmony among different classes or ethnic groups.
Film writer and critic Samipyaraj Timilsina told OnlineKhabar that the board reportedly denied permission because the storyline revolves around tensions between India and Pakistan. He said Nepal has provisions to restrict films that could harm the image of another country or hurt relations with friendly nations. Koligram Post goes further, reporting that the censor committee had earlier decided not to permit public screenings of films targeting India and Pakistan that could affect ties with friendly countries.
Is the door fully shut?
Not necessarily. OnlineKhabar points out that the same law allows the censor board to approve a film after cuts or changes that bring it into line with the rules. None of the reports we read say whether the makers or the distributor plan to submit an edited version.
Timilsina also sounded a note of caution about the policy itself. According to OnlineKhabar, he warned that repeatedly banning films about international conflicts and revenge could create further complications, and suggested authorities assess each film's subject and sensitivity carefully. He cited earlier controversies over the screening of the films Alpha and Bantwara.
OnlineKhabar reports that Udta Teer had been scheduled to open in Nepal on Friday, the same day as its Indian release.
What Udta Teer is about
Udta Teer marks the feature directorial debut of Akash A Kaushik. Ayushmann plays Bilal Ahmad, a Pakistani spy who enters India and loses his memory after an accident, then comes to believe he is an Indian agent, Hindustan Times reports.
Speaking to ANI when the new release date was announced, Ayushmann described it this way: "In the film, I play a Pakistani spy who loses his memory; while he retains a sense of patriotism, he forgets which country he belongs to, so he ends up supporting India. It could be described as a pro-India patriotic comedy," as quoted by The Indian Express.
At the trailer launch in Mumbai, he called it "a spy comedy, a patriotic comedy, and a genre bender," according to Hindustan Times.
The cast includes Sara Ali Khan, Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Suhail Nayyar, Gulshan Grover, Raghubir Yadav, Brijendra Kala and Supriya Pilgaonkar. The film is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla and Apoorva Mehta of Dharma Productions with Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment.
A release that has already moved once
Udta Teer was first due on Oct. 9. The Indian Express and The Times of India reported on Oct. 2 that the makers had pushed it to Oct. 23. A press note quoted by both papers said the shift gave the film "a cleaner release window and a stronger theatrical runway instead of compromising on screens in a suddenly crowded marketplace."
The Nepal decision does not affect the Indian release. It does, however, add the film to a list of Hindi titles that have run into trouble abroad. Bollywood Hungama notes that Dhurandhar, Border 2, Fighter, Sky Force, Article 370 and Tiger 3 were reportedly denied release in certain Middle Eastern markets, and says Udta Teer's roadblock is closer to home.
What we still do not know
There has been no public response from Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan or the producers to the Nepal order in the coverage we found. The ministry has not published a detailed explanation, and the reports differ on the precise section cited and on some names and dates in the letter. Until the makers or Nepal's authorities say more, the India-Pakistan storyline remains a critic's reading of the decision rather than an official reason.
Sources
Cover photo: Megha Thakker, Wikimedia Commons, [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ayushmann_Khurrana_at_IFP_Season_8.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ayushmann_Khurrana_at_IFP_Season_8.jpg) (CC BY-SA 4.0).