'Udta Teer' director reacts to 'reverse 'Dhurandhar' comparisons
What's the story
Aakash Kaushik, the director of Udta Teer, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, recently spoke about the similarities between his film and Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar. Both films deal with spies, but in different ways: Dhurandhar follows an Indian spy in Pakistan while Udta Teer is a comedy about a Pakistani character in India. Viewers are now comparing the two films, with some even dubbing Kaushik's debut as the "reverse Dhurandhar."
Director's perspective
'I used to actually joke with him'
Speaking to India Today, Kaushik said he welcomed the comparisons but disagreed with the "reverse Dhurandhar" label.
He said, "Aditya is a very dear friend of mine. He's like my brother. We were writing our individual films around the same time."
"I used to actually joke with him, saying, 'Your guy is going there from here, and my guy is coming here from there.'"
"So, for us, the comparison had existed since then."
Film comparison
'I've known about it from the beginning...'
While he acknowledged the similarities, Kaushik did not agree that Udta Teer is a reverse version of Dhurandhar.
He said, "Not at all. I understand where the comparison is coming from. But I have never perceived it that way."
"As I said, because I've known about it from the beginning, I never saw it like that."
Film release
'It was frustrating, of course'
The journey to get Udta Teer released was not smooth.
The film faced multiple delays, including after actor Mukul Dev's untimely death, and the extensive VFX work also took longer than expected.
Kaushik said, "It was frustrating, of course...But those delays were no one's fault."
"You can't blame anyone. It is the situation. You learn to live with it."
Meanwhile, the film has earned ₹40.28 crore in India and ₹9.75 crore at the overseas box office so far, per Sacnilk.