Udta Teer Releases Today: Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan’s Spy Comedy Lands on a Crowded Friday With a 4-Star First Review

Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan’s spy comedy Udta Teer storms cinemas today, October 23, 2026, leading one of the most crowded Hindi Fridays of the year. The film was originally announced for October 9 but was pushed back by Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment to secure what the makers called a cleaner theatrical window, moving it out of the Drishyam 3 opening-period rush. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the revised date earlier this month.

The film’s premise is pure chaos-fuel: Ayushmann plays Bilal Ahmad, a Pakistani intelligence operative who suffers an explosion-induced bout of amnesia and wakes up convinced he is a top officer of India’s Counter-Terrorism Squad. He sets about serving India with full patriotic fervour while his panicking handlers back home scramble to retrieve him. Sara Ali Khan plays Yamini, a sharp CTS operative caught in the madness. The ensemble also features Rahul Bose, Gulshan Grover, Suhail Nayyar, Supriya Pilgaonkar and Brijendra Kala. The film is written and directed by debutant Aakash Kaushik, with music by Sachin-Jigar. It marks the final screen appearance of Mukul Dev, whom Ayushmann described at the trailer launch as one of the brightest talents in the industry.

Early word is encouraging. Actor-turned-critic Kuldeep Gadhvi, who attended a special screening, awarded the film four stars and called it a fun-filled blend of espionage, comedy, suspense and family entertainment, advising viewers to leave their brains at the door and enjoy the madness. Dharma has gone all-in on the campaign — its official countdown post for the release was characteristically swaggering: “Peak cinema. We will not be taking questions.”

The trade will be watching two numbers first: the opening-day figure against a packed Friday slate, and whether word of mouth can convert the four-star early buzz into a sustained run. A clean three-hour comedy with a hero who doesn’t know what side he’s on is exactly the kind of high-concept gamble Bollywood needs to work right now.

Udta Teer also matters as a Dharma gamble on theatrical comedy: the studio’s record with the genre is uneven, but Ayushmann’s comic timing plus a genuinely absurd premise that rewards repeat viewing gives it a real opening — and the early review plus the emotional pull of Mukul Dev’s final role give it a head start on a Friday where eight Hindi films are fighting for the same screens. Distributors will allocate shows to whoever draws first, so word of mouth from day one is everything.

For background, read Filmverse’s earlier report on the film’s denied Nepal release.

Watch the official trailer:

Sources: Filmibeat, Zoom TV, Bollywood Hungama, LatestLY