Prahaar review: Rajkummar Rao leads an uneven courtroom drama about Ujjwal Nikam

Prahaar follows prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam as he takes on the case against Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker captured alive after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The film is directed by Avinash Arun and stars Rajkummar Rao as Nikam, with Sikandar Kher as Kasab’s lawyer.

The story centres on the courtroom battle and also depicts Nikam’s family life and other parts of his work.

The reviews praise performances by Jaideep Ahlawat and Lalit Prabhakar, while their views of Rao’s performance differ.

Both reviews say the film loses focus, in part because it tries to handle too many storylines.

That matters because the case and the attacks are the story’s central subject, but the diversions weaken the film’s impact.

The film was scheduled to open in cinemas on October 16, according to one review.