UDTA TEER is an amusing spy comedy

Udta Teer Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating

Director: Akash A Kaushik

Udta Teer Movie Review Synopsis:
UDTA TEER is the story of a spy who loses his memory. Vikrant Thapar (Ayushmann Khurrana) works for the Counter Terrorism Squad (CTS) and is one of its best agents. His marriage to Yamini (Sara Ali Khan) is on the rocks. Unknown to everyone, Vikrant is actually a Pakistani spy who has successfully infiltrated the higher ranks of the CTS without anyone getting a whiff of his true identity. Vikrant’s real name is Bilal Ahmed and he reports to Pakistani Lt General A Q Niyazi (Ram Kapoor). Pakistani General Mohammed Ali Mir (Gulshan Grover) is due for retirement and he needs to choose between Niyazi and A A Faiz (Harish Chhabra) as his successor. Niyazi needs to impress Mir so that he can secure the most powerful position in Pakistan. He persuades Bilal, aka Vikrant, to give him information about the Indians who are working in Pakistan as spies. While carrying out this assignment, Vikrant meets with an accident and loses his memory. When he wakes up, his team members and Yamini inform him that he’s a CTS agent and a true Indian patriot. Vikrant assumes it to be true and goes all out against cross-border terrorism. This upsets Niyazi and the entire Pakistani establishment as their anti-India operation gets jeopardized thanks to Vikrant. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Udta Teer Movie Story Review:
Akash A Kaushik’s story is very amusing but loses steam in the third act. Akash A Kaushik, Gautam Govind Sharma, Dia Walia and Madhur Sharma’s screenplay emerges victorious, especially in the humorous scenes. In the second half, it could have been a bit simpler. Akash A Kaushik’s dialogues add to the laughs and madness.

Akash A Kaushik’s direction is fair, especially for a debutant director. His biggest strength is how he handles humour and, in this regard, he goes all out. The scenes of M D Burman (Rahul Bose) and Azhar Maqsood (late Mukul Dev) are the best parts of the film and would lead to a lot of laughs. Then there are certain scenes where the jokes have a geopolitical touch and that would also be lapped up by those who have an interest in current affairs. Thirdly, the humour is also derived from the smart use of old Hindi songs. One such humorous scene that works well is the way the song ‘Julie I Love You’ has been used in the film.

On the flipside, the film takes a serious turn post-interval, and that’s where it begins to falter. The narrative becomes increasingly complex, with too many twists and double-crosses. After a point, it becomes difficult to keep track of whose side Bilal, aka Vikrant, is actually on. The track of Vikrant and Yamini fails to work as intended. Moreover, while the humour would be lapped up by the youth, it may not appeal to family audiences and senior citizens. Some of Rahul Bose’s scenes, in particular, might come across as repulsive and insensitive to certain viewers.

Udta Teer Movie Review Performances:
Ayushmann Khurrana, as always, delivers a fine performance and manages to look convincing as a spy gone rogue due to memory issues. Sara Ali Khan looks lovely and performs as required. However, she’s let down by the writing. Rahul Bose delivers the funniest performance of his career and is a surprise. The late Mukul Dev, too, delivers one of the best performances of his career. Ram Kapoor and Gulshan Grover are dependable as always. Suhail Nayyar (Dhruv Kumar Singh) has a crucial role and is entertaining. The same goes for Smita Tambe (I S Holkar; Vikrant’s boss) and Sandeep Anand (Shambhu; Vikrant’s househelp). Supriya Pilgaonkar (Yamini’s mother) and Brijendra Kala (K K Srivastav) lend able support while Kavya Kumar (Sharif) is funny.

Udta Teer movie music and other technical aspects:
Sachin-Jigar’s music is okay. The title track is catchy. ‘Choozay’ and ‘Bhootni Ka’ are well picturized but are not memorable. ‘Chann’ and ‘Jai Hind’ are forced into the narrative. Ketan Sodha’s background score is quirky, just like the film.

Harshvir Oberai’s cinematography is satisfactory. Sea Young Oh, Mohammed Aejaz Gulab Shaikh and Mohd Amin Khatib’s action adds to the entertainment quotient. Abhilasha Sharma’s costumes are stylish yet realistic. Mayur Sharma’s production design is satisfactory. Shivkumar V Panicker and Prerna Saigal’s editing could have been sharper.

Udta Teer Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, UDTA TEER is an amusing spy comedy that works thanks to its quirky premise, hilarious moments and entertaining performances, especially by Rahul Bose and the late Mukul Dev. At the box office, it releases with minimal hype and would need a strong word of mouth to leave a mark at the box office.