Udta Teer: Aakash Kaushik recalls Mukul Dev’s performance

'Udta Teer', starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, marked the directorial debut of Aakash Kaushik, who started out as a writer with 'F.A.L.T.U' (2011). He is also a go-to name for horror comedies, having written 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' and 'Bhooth Bangla'.

'Udta Teer' director on the idea behind the film

Now, in an interview with Free Press Journal, Aakash Kaushik shared his inspiration behind his new action-comedy, featuring an intelligence operative who is Indian for one half of the film and Pakistani for the other. Admitting that he has always been a fan of patriotic films, he said, "Border is one of my favourites. We've always seen Sunny (Deol) paaji and all the heroes say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Jai Hind'. Experiencing those moments brings us so much joy.

That's when I thought, what if I could get our neighbours to say these words? That's when the idea popped into my head, and I was instantly very excited about it. I knew it was a very out-of-the-box idea and that it would work really well."

'Udta Teer' director on working with Mukul Dev

Speaking about Mukul Dev’s standout performance and what it was like to work with him, he said, “I had an absolute ball working with Mukul Sir. He was such a sweetheart and was very involved with his character.

Very few people know this, but he had a great command over different languages and accents. His portrayal of terrorist Azhar Maqsood drew heavily from his own ideas and performance. It’s such a joy when what you write on paper is elevated by someone’s performance.

"He added, "At night, he would suddenly call me at around 12:30 am, and I would wonder if everything was all right. He would then just start laughing. While I was confused about what was going on, he would tell me that he was remembering a particular scene we had shot and laughing about it.

I really miss him, and I just pray that he were here to be a part of all the success we’re enjoying. But I know he’s smiling from above and feeling happy about all the love he’s receiving.

”

'Udta Teer' cast

'Udta Teer' is a spy comedy starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan. The film also has Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Mukul Dev and Suhail Nayyar in it. Supriya Pilgaonkar, Brijendra Kala and Sandeep Anand are seen in supporting roles.