Udta Teer review: First-day reactions praise Ayushmann Khurrana, but critics split on tone

Kaushik’s setup has been described as a reversal of the usual “super-agent saves the nation” template, with the protagonist’s mission collapsing not because he is caught, but because he forgets what he is doing there in the first place. The resulting confusion ricochets through handlers, family and local assets, as Bilal-turned-Vikrant begins defending the very country he was sent to infiltrate.

A spy plot built on amnesia

Udta Teer runs 137 minutes, and its early stretch is designed like a comedy of errors that keeps tightening the screws. Bilal’s misplaced zeal turns routine intelligence work into a series of escalating misunderstandings, and the film uses that to poke at chest-thumping rhetoric without turning the India-Pakistan backdrop into sermon or scolding.

Several early reviews have singled out the simplicity of the hook as the film’s biggest strength. The premise is easy to grasp, and it gives the actors room to play in scenes that depend on timing rather than exposition. That said, the same reviews also point to a familiar problem for high-concept comedies: once the joke has landed, the film has to find fresh ways to keep it moving.

That’s where the reactions begin to split. While the first half is widely seen as confident and consistently funny, the later portions have been described as less sure-footed when the story leans harder into suspense. Some critics have argued that the film starts to chase conventional spy-movie beats, blunting the bite of its satire just when the stakes rise.

Still, even the mixed takes tend to agree on one point: the movie is trying to do something different inside a well-worn format. By making the “enemy agent” the most fervent flag-waver in the room, Udta Teer frames patriotism as performance, habit and accident, not just ideology.

Performances and the early verdict

Khurrana is the film’s anchor, and first-day reactions have repeatedly credited him for holding the tonal balancing act together. His Bilal plays like a man improvising his own identity in real time, which is the key to making the premise work beyond a single punchline.

The supporting cast is also a major part of the film’s appeal. Rahul Bose and the late Mukul Dev, in particular, have drawn praise for landing some of the biggest laughs, with their characters positioned to both exploit and fear the chaos Bilal creates. The ensemble includes Suhail Nayyar, Ram Kapoor and Gulshan Grover, adding familiar faces to a story that depends on misunderstandings and shifting loyalties.

Sara Ali Khan’s role has been described as more limited than Khurrana’s, giving her less space to shape the film’s direction. Even so, she is part of the larger swirl of characters trying to manage the fallout from Bilal’s amnesia, and her presence adds to the frantic energy of the group dynamics.

Critics have also diverged sharply on the overall execution. Some early ratings reported on release day ranged from 3.5/5 at one outlet to 2/5 at another, reflecting the same divide visible in first-show reactions: viewers who prefer the movie’s comic intent and those who feel the screenplay loses control when it shifts gears.

For now, Udta Teer’s opening day story is less about a single consensus than about a clear split. The film’s fans are embracing it as a light, satirical break from heavy spy fare, while sceptics are questioning whether it can sustain its clever setup all the way to the finish.

The next signal will come as the weekend audience broadens beyond first-show crowds and online regulars. If word-of-mouth stays strong on the humour and performances, Udta Teer could find a steady run; if the mixed notes on the second half dominate, the conversation may harden into a more polarised verdict.