Kathmandu - Nepal's government has imposed a nationwide ban on the public screening of the Indian film 'Udta Teer', after the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology instructed the Central Film Censor Board not to grant permission for the movie to be shown in the country. The directive was conveyed through a letter issued by the ministry's audio-visual and broadcasting branch on 30 Asar 2083 BS, corresponding to mid-July 2026. In the same communication, the ministry informed National Cine Group Nepal Pvt. Ltd., the film's distributor in Nepal, that the movie had been made in violation of the law on film censorship and exhibition. With the instruction in force, the film cannot receive the clearance required for public exhibition anywhere in Nepal.
Ministry directs censor board to withhold approval
The order places the Central Film Censor Board at the centre of the government's decision. The board is the authority that grants public screening permission for films in Nepal, and the ministry has now told it, in writing, not to issue that permission for 'Udta Teer'. By withholding the board's clearance at the source, the government has ensured that the film cannot complete the regulatory process required before any movie can be shown publicly in the country.
The letter was sent by the ministry's audio-visual and broadcasting branch, the unit that issued the formal instruction on the government's behalf. The decision, once communicated to the censor board and the distributor, translated directly into a ban on the film's public screening across Nepal.
Key elements of the directive
- The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has instructed the Central Film Censor Board not to grant public screening permission for 'Udta Teer'.
- The ministry separately wrote to National Cine Group Nepal Pvt. Ltd., the film's distributor for Nepal.
- The stated reason is that the film was made in violation of the law on film censorship and exhibition.
- The practical effect is a government ban on the film's public screening across Nepal.
Distributor formally notified
National Cine Group Nepal Pvt. Ltd. received the ministry's letter in its capacity as the distributor of 'Udta Teer' in Nepal. As the company responsible for bringing the film to the Nepali market, the distributor is the entity that would ordinarily pursue censorship clearance and screening permission for a theatrical release. With the ministry's letter, it has now been formally notified that the government will not permit the film's public exhibition.
The title has been rendered slightly differently across Nepali media reports. While the film is widely referred to as 'Udta Teer', some outlets, including Nepal Views, have romanised the title as 'Udta Tir'. The difference is one of transliteration only, and the reports describe the same ministry directive and the same ban.
The communication to the distributor matters because it puts the private party to the release on written notice, alongside the instruction already issued to the regulator. Both strands of the decision point in the same direction: the censor board is not to grant permission, and the distributor has been told why.
Government cites censorship and exhibition law
The ministry's stated justification is that 'Udta Teer' was made in violation of the law on film censorship and exhibition. Under that framework, films intended for public screening in Nepal must pass through censorship and obtain screening permission before they can be shown in cinemas. The ministry's letter ties the ban directly to this requirement, presenting the film's production as having fallen foul of the applicable legal provisions rather than simply awaiting routine review.
Because the censor board has been instructed not to grant public screening permission, the film cannot lawfully proceed to Nepali cinemas, regardless of any steps the distributor might otherwise take through the usual channels. The directive does not attach conditions for a modified or restricted release; it withholds permission altogether, which is what gives the measure the character of a ban rather than a partial restriction.
The letter's date, 30 Asar 2083 BS, marks the point at which the government's position became official. From that date, the instruction to the censor board and the notification to the distributor were both on record, and the film's path to public screening in Nepal was closed.
Nationwide effect of the ban
The government's decision was reported by Khabarhub, Global Aawaj and Nepal Views, which describe the ministry's letter and the instructions to the censor board in consistent terms. Together, the reporting confirms that the directive originated with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and was executed through its audio-visual and broadcasting branch.
With the censor board barred from granting clearance, cinema halls across Nepal cannot schedule public shows of 'Udta Teer'. The ban applies nationwide, covering the entire exhibition market rather than any particular province, municipality or group of theatres. In practice, the film's availability to Nepali audiences in cinemas now depends entirely on a change in the government's position, since the permission on which any public screening rests has been expressly withheld.
For now, the ministry's action settles the film's exhibition status in Nepal. Without the censor board's approval, which the government has directed it not to issue, 'Udta Teer' cannot be screened publicly in the country.
