‘Acharya’ Trailer Brings Nikhil Upreti Back as a Mass Action Hero
Nikhil Upreti is back in familiar action territory, and the newly released trailer of ‘Acharya’ puts the actor-filmmaker firmly at the centre of a large-scale mass entertainer packed with fights, stunts and high-energy confrontations.
The nearly three-and-a-half-minute trailer was unveiled at a special event held at Big Movies in Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu, on Saturday. ‘Acharya’ is scheduled to open in cinemas on Asoj 9, 2083, corresponding to September 25, 2026.
Building on the action showcased in the earlier teaser, the trailer expands the scale with elaborate fight choreography, intense combat sequences and a distinctly commercial presentation.
It also hints that ‘Acharya’ will go beyond straightforward action. Elements involving justice, suspense, modern technology and spirituality appear to form part of the story, while Upreti’s character is presented as a powerful figure prepared to confront his enemies head-on.
‘Acharya’ marks Upreti’s second film as a director after ‘Bhairav’, in which he also played the lead role. His action persona became one of the key talking points of that film, and the new trailer suggests that ‘Acharya’ is attempting to take that screen image to a bigger scale.
The film also appears to embrace the mass-entertainer format that has become less common in mainstream Nepali cinema in recent years.
Speaking at the trailer launch, Upreti said the production was driven by a desire to demonstrate that Nepali filmmakers can deliver large-scale entertainment using local content, resources and talent even while competing with foreign films in the domestic market.
“We Nepalis can also make films in the style of foreign movies. If we can make such films and entertain Nepali audiences, that is the battle we have to win,” Upreti said.
He added that he has consistently tried to offer something new through his films and has taken the same approach with both the action and content of ‘Acharya’.
“I have always tried to give something new in my films. I have tried to bring something new to both the action and the content in this film as well. Audiences will experience that when they watch it,” he said.
During the film’s earlier first-look campaign, Upreti had explained that the title ‘Acharya’ does not refer to a particular caste or community. Instead, it is connected to the idea of a guru skilled in warfare and diplomacy. Portions of the film were shot in Nepal and India.
The cast brings together performers from Nepal and India. South Indian actors Raghu Babu and Raghu Karumanchi appear alongside Upreti, while Purnika Sijapati makes her feature-film debut.
The ensemble also includes Deep Raj Rana, Pramod Agrahari, Rohit Chaudhari, Dhurba Koirala, Sajeena Shrestha, Ranjit Koirala, Sarita Gawali, Anup Tuladhar, Suresh Kohali, Jessika Pokharel and Roshani Acharya, among others.
Presented by Nikhil Upreti Production Pvt. Ltd., ‘Acharya’ is produced by Krishna Bhattarai, with Mithilesh Tiwari serving as executive producer. Upreti is credited as writer and director in addition to playing the lead role.
The film has been shot by cinematographers Saurav Lama, Mannu BK and Nawaraj Krishna Thapa. Sukraraj Shah has directed the action, while Bande Prasad is the editor.
Yug Bhusal is credited as music director, with Kalacharan handling the background score. Kiran Thapa and Gambhir Bista have worked on choreography, while Sandesh Shah has cut the teaser and trailer.
Manoj Rathi is handling the film’s distribution in Nepal, while Seven Seas International has been assigned overseas distribution. OSR Digital is the film’s digital partner.
‘Acharya’ arrives in cinemas on September 25, 2026.
