‘Udta Teer’ Flips The Spy Formula: Recent Indian Films With Pakistan At The Centre Of The Story

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Sep 24, 2026 16:40 IST ⓘ

As ‘Udta Teer’ flips the spy formula, a look at recent Indian films that put Pakistan at the centre of their stories.

A border can turn a film into a battlefield, a spy’s hiding place or the distance between two people who cannot get home. Indian cinema has explored all three, often within the same decade. Some filmmakers have sent their heroes into Pakistan on dangerous missions; others have stayed with families who watched the country come into being, or with veterans still carrying memories of war. The result is a surprisingly varied collection of stories. There are roaring action spectacles here, certainly, but also a disputed house in Lahore, an unfinished romance and a diplomatic rescue that depends more on patience than firepower.

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That range makes the newly released ‘Udta Teer’ trailer an entertaining new entry point. Unveiled on September 23, it introduces Ayushmann Khurrana as Bilal, a Pakistani spy sent to India who loses his memory in an explosion and becomes convinced he works for an Indian counter-terrorism unit. Sara Ali Khan plays a unit officer who does not know his real identity, while his handlers in Pakistan have a rather obvious problem: their operative has developed a completely different sense of allegiance. Written and directed by Aakash Kaushik in his feature directorial debut, the action comedy is scheduled for October 9, 2026.

Here are films that have already taken India-Pakistan stories in very different directions:

1. Batwara 1947 (2026)

Sunny Deol going to Pakistan is familiar territory for ‘Gadar’ fans. This time, the character arrives as a refugee. In Rajkumar Santoshi’s ‘Batwara 1947’, Sikandar Mirza (Deol), his wife Hamida (Preity Zinta) and their children flee India during Partition and are allotted a house in Lahore. There is one complication: an elderly Hindu woman called Mai (Shabana Azmi) still lives in it and will not leave. The resulting conflict asks who gets to call a place home when a border has suddenly changed everything. Also featuring Karan Deol and Abhimanyu Singh, the film opened on August 14, 2026 and grossed Rs 54.20 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk.

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2. Main Vaapas Aaunga (2026)

For the elderly Ishar Singh Grewal, Sargodha is still home. The trouble is that Sargodha has been in Pakistan since 1947. Imtiaz Ali’s romance moves between Ishar’s memories of his younger self (Vedang Raina), the woman he loved (Sharvari), and the present, when his grandson (Diljit Dosanjh) tries to piece together the history behind that longing. Naseeruddin Shah plays the older Ishar in a story where Pakistan is both a real place across the border and the location of an unfinished life. Released on June 12, 2026, the film earned Rs 99.39 crore worldwide.

3. Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026)

An undercover life in Karachi cannot stay simple forever. Aditya Dhar’s sequel brings Ranveer Singh back as Hamza Ali Mazari, the identity assumed by Indian operative Jaskirat Singh Rangi, and pushes his mission deeper into Pakistan’s criminal and intelligence networks. Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun return to a story in which the danger comes as much from keeping the disguise intact as from confronting his targets. Released on March 19, 2026, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ amassed Rs 1,813.39 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk.

4. Border 2 (2026)

The sequel to 1997’s ‘Border’ opens up the canvas of the 1971 India-Pakistan war to India’s army, air force and navy. Sunny Deol returns to the franchise alongside Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty, each bringing a different service’s experience into Anurag Singh’s war drama. The film reached theatres on January 23, 2026 and collected Rs 450.19 crore worldwide. Its Pakistan connection is the central military conflict, with the story built around personnel facing the costs of that war.

5. Ikkis (2026)

Sriram Raghavan’s ‘Ikkis’ does not leave its story on the battlefield. Agastya Nanda plays Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, killed at 21 during the 1971 war; Dharmendra plays his father, who visits Pakistan decades later and is hosted by a former Pakistani officer portrayed by Jaideep Ahlawat. Their meeting gives the film its other, quieter confrontation: what can two men on opposite sides say about the same devastating day? Also starring Simar Bhatia and Sikander Kher, ‘Ikkis’ released on January 1, 2026 and grossed Rs 41.65 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk.

6. Dhurandhar (2025)

Before the sequel’s huge run, ‘Dhurandhar’ had already made Karachi’s Lyari district the heart of its undercover thriller. Ranveer Singh’s Indian operative enters the area as Hamza Ali Mazari and works his way into a criminal network, where one wrong move could expose him. Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun populate Aditya Dhar’s sprawling world of gangs and espionage. The film released on December 5, 2025, then went on to collect Rs 1,307.35 crore worldwide.

7. The Diplomat (2025)

No disguise or fighter jet can solve the central problem in ‘The Diplomat’. Sadia Khateeb plays Uzma Ahmed, an Indian woman seeking refuge at the Indian mission in Islamabad; John Abraham plays diplomat J. P. Singh, who must help get her home. Inspired by Uzma’s real-life ordeal, Shivam Nair’s film finds its tension in negotiations, uncertainty and the question of whether she can cross the border safely. Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi and Revathy also star. Released on March 14, 2025, it earned Rs 51.46 crore worldwide.

8. Thandel (2025)

A fishing trip takes Raju much farther from home than he intended. In Chandoo Mondeti’s ‘Thandel’, the fisherman played by Naga Chaitanya drifts into Pakistani waters with his crew and is detained, leaving Satya (Sai Pallavi) fighting to bring him back. The film moves between their romance and his ordeal across the border, drawing on the detention of Indian fishermen in Pakistan. Released on February 7, 2025, it grossed Rs 88.89 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk.

9. Sky Force (2025)

‘Sky Force’ takes its India-Pakistan conflict into the skies of 1965, building its drama around an Indian air strike on Pakistan’s Sargodha airbase and its aftermath. Akshay Kumar and Veer Pahariya lead the cast, with Nimrat Kaur and Sara Ali Khan also appearing. Directors Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur give the mission a personal thread through the fate of a pilot whose story refuses to end when the aircraft disappears. The film opened on January 24, 2025 and made Rs 150.01 crore worldwide.

10. Operation Valentine (2024)

The Pulwama-Balakot story also reached cinemas in Telugu and Hindi. Shakti Pratap Singh Hada’s ‘Operation Valentine’ follows an Indian air-force team through a fictionalised account inspired by those events, with Varun Tej as a pilot and Manushi Chhillar as a radar officer. Ruhani Sharma is among the supporting cast. Released on March 1, 2024, it collected Rs 10.30 crore worldwide. Its inclusion matters because the Pakistan-centred air-war story was being told beyond Hindi cinema, too.

11. Fighter (2024)

One year before ‘Sky Force’, Siddharth Anand sent another team of Indian pilots into a Pakistan-linked story. ‘Fighter’ draws on the Pulwama attack and the ensuing Balakot strikes for its fictional aerial-action plot, with Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor leading an air-force unit; Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi also star. Its Pakistan connection drives both the cross-border operation and the escalating conflict between the pilots. Released on January 25, 2024, the film finished at approximately Rs 359 crore worldwide, as reported by Sacnilk.

12. Tiger 3 (2023)

The third ‘Tiger’ film gives its Indian hero an unusual assignment: help stop a plot against Pakistan’s political leadership. Salman Khan’s Tiger and Katrina Kaif’s Zoya join forces with allies from both countries after Pakistani operative Aatish Rehman (Emraan Hashmi) pulls them into his scheme. Part of Maneesh Sharma’s action thriller takes place in Islamabad, where cooperation becomes essential to stopping him. Released on November 12, 2023, ‘Tiger 3’ grossed Rs 464 crore worldwide. Here, saving lives across the border is the mission.

13. Gadar 2 (2023)

Tara Singh’s return to Pakistan is motivated by a parent’s worst fear. In Anil Sharma’s sequel, his son Jeete (Utkarsh Sharma) crosses the border, falls into danger and draws Tara (Sunny Deol) into another confrontation with the Pakistani military. Ameesha Patel returns as Sakina, while Simrat Kaur joins the cast. Set against tensions around the 1971 war, the film again turns the border into both an action-film obstacle and a family’s separation. It reached theatres on August 11, 2023 and earned Rs 686 crore worldwide.

14. Mission Majnu (2023)

Sidharth Malhotra’s undercover agent has a difficult brief: live convincingly in Pakistan in the 1970s while uncovering a covert nuclear programme. In Shantanu Bagchi’s ‘Mission Majnu’, that double life also involves his relationship with Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna), making every discovery a risk to someone close to him. Sharib Hashmi and Kumud Mishra feature in the espionage story. It premiered directly on Netflix on January 20, 2023.

15. Pathaan (2023)

‘Pathaan’ is the loosest geographical fit here: its action moves across countries rather than staying in Pakistan. Yet Pakistan is crucial to Siddharth Anand’s spy plot. Deepika Padukone plays Rubai, a Pakistani intelligence operative whose loyalties keep Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan guessing, while a Pakistani military figure’s plan helps set John Abraham’s mercenary Jim against India. The film’s most interesting cross-border twist is that Rubai refuses to let that plot speak for her country. Also featuring Dimple Kapadia, ‘Pathaan’ released on January 25, 2023 and grossed Rs 1,055 crore worldwide.

16. Sita Ramam (2022)

No undercover identity is needed to cross the border in ‘Sita Ramam’. Just a letter that has waited two decades to reach its destination. Rashmika Mandanna plays Afreen, a Pakistani woman tasked with delivering a message from Indian soldier Ram (Dulquer Salmaan) to Sita (Mrunal Thakur). As she follows their story, Hanu Raghavapudi’s romance finds its India-Pakistan connection in a journey between two countries and two generations. Also starring Sumanth, the film first released on August 5, 2022, and earned Rs 94.28 crore worldwide.

17. Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)

Aditya Dhar’s ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ turns to the 2016 Uri attack and an Indian military operation against militant launch pads across the Line of Control. Vicky Kaushal plays Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, with Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal and Mohit Raina in the cast. The cross-border mission is the film’s destination, but its momentum comes from Vihaan and the team preparing for what may be a one-way trip. Released on January 11, 2019, the film grossed Rs 341.75 crore worldwide.

18. Raazi (2018)

The most nerve-racking room in ‘Raazi’ is a family home. Meghna Gulzar’s thriller follows Sehmat (Alia Bhatt), an Indian woman who marries Pakistani army officer Iqbal (Vicky Kaushal) to gather intelligence ahead of the 1971 war. Her new household gives her access to secrets, but its members are also people she comes to know. That emotional cost makes the Pakistan setting inseparable from the spy story. Rajit Kapur and Soni Razdan also starred. Released on May 11, 2018, ‘Raazi’ collected Rs 195 crore worldwide.