Nepal Denies Screening Permission for Bollywood's 'Udta Teer' Before Oct 23 Release

Nepal's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has refused public screening permission for the Bollywood film "Udta Teer," starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, ahead of its scheduled October 23 opening, according to the ministry's letter reported by NewsX and Daily Jagran.

The refusal follows a review by Nepal's Central Film Censor Board, which found the film broke a provision of the country's cinema law, Daily Jagran reported. The letter came from the ministry's Audio-Visual and Broadcasting Division, and the board examined the film on Ashwin 19, 2083, in the Nepali calendar, the outlet reported.

Neither the ministry nor the censor board has said which scene, dialogue or plot point triggered the decision, NewsX and Daily Jagran both reported. The Indian outlets WION and The Week reported that the letter cites subsection 3 of Section 8 of the law. The letter was signed by Vishal Bhandari, a branch officer, WION reported. Nepal Wire has not independently confirmed the section number or the signatory. Nepal Wire has not yet obtained comment from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology or the Central Film Censor Board.

"Udta Teer" is a spy comedy directed by Akash A Kaushik in his directorial debut. Khurrana plays Bilal Ahmed, a Pakistani spy who crosses into India, loses his memory in a road accident and comes to believe he is an Indian spy, NewsX reported. Daily Jagran spells the name Bilal Ahmad. Sara Ali Khan, Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor and Gulshan Grover also star, per NewsX.

The film's India-Pakistan plot has drawn attention as a possible reason for Nepal's decision. Nepal's cinema law lets the censor board restrict films seen as harmful to the country's security, peace and order, its relations with friendly countries, or harmony among communities, NewsX reported. Samipyaraj Timilsina, a film writer and critic, said the India-Pakistan storyline was behind the objection, NewsX reported. No official has confirmed that link.

The restriction applies only to theatrical screening inside Nepal. It does not affect the film's October 23 release in India, and does not amount to a permanent ban on every format, NewsX reported. Khurrana has described the role as demanding versatility. "It was part of the script. As an actor, you are ready to do anything," he said, according to Daily Jagran.

An old law

The law behind the letter is not new. Nepal's Film Development Board publishes it on film.gov.np as the Motion Picture Production, Exhibition and Distribution Act, 2026. That is the Nepali calendar year matching 1969. The letter does not say which scene breached it.

What we still do not know

• What specific scene or dialogue the censor board judged to violate the law. Only the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology or the Central Film Censor Board can say.
• Whether the film's Nepali distributor has received the letter and plans to appeal. The distributor and the censor board could answer.
• What the denial means for Nepali cinema halls that booked screenings or sold advance tickets for October 23. Nepali theatre operators could say.