Ayushmann Khurrana opens up on playing Pakistani spy in Udta Teer: ‘I do what the script demands’

Ayushmann Khurrana plays a Pakistani spy who loses his memory on a mission in India in the spy comedy Udta Teer.

The trailer for the upcoming spy comedy Udta Teer was unveiled on Wednesday in Mumbai. The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan in the lead roles and is helmed by debutante director Akash A Kaushik. The film's premise of a Pakistani agent forgetting his mission in India has spawned chatter on social media. At the trailer launch event, Ayushmann said he had no hesitation in playing a Pakistani agent in the film.

Ayushmann Khurrana plays a Pakistani spy in Udta Teer.

Ayushmann Khurrana on Udta Teer

Udta Teer revolves around a Pakistani spy named Bilal Ahmad (Ayushmann), who enters India and suffers from memory loss after an accident, mistakenly believing he is an Indian spy.

Responding to a question at the trailer launch, Ayushmann said, “It was part of the script. As an actor, you are ready to do anything. This is a spy comedy, a patriotic comedy, and a genre bender. I do what the script demands; I'm a director's baby. It is a fantastic script.”

Ayushmann called the role ‘the most difficult character’ because of how he had to stay straight-faced amid all the chaos and comedy happening around him. The actor, known for films like Thamma, Andhadhun, and Dum Laga Ke Haisha, said, “It is the most difficult character because things were happening around him. I had to have that straight face, though there were moments when I felt like laughing, but I couldn't. I had to be normal while there was chaos happening around me.”

Sara Ali Khan opens up about the film

Udta Teer features Sara Ali Khan opposite Khurrana. At the trailer launch, the actor said she was drawn to the film because of its unusual premise. “When I heard the story, I so wanted to be part of this world. It is a unique and fresh film. The character is not like my real self, and hence it was exciting for me to do it,” she said. Ayushmann credited director Akash A Kaushik for the unusual story, calling it his ‘brain child’.

All about Udta Teer

Apart from Ayushmann and Sara, the film boasts of an ensemble cast including Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Suhail Nayyar, Gulshan Grover, Raghubir Yadav, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Smita Tambe, and the late Mukul Dev, among others. It is Mukul Dev's final posthumous performance.

Produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain, Udta Teer is set to release in cinemas on October 9.