Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Prithviraj, Kareena and Meghna Gulzar discuss Daayra, cinema
Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Meghna Gulzar spoke about their upcoming film Daayra.
The film has two important characters named Raman and Ajooni.
Neither character is shown as completely right or completely wrong.
Meghna Gulzar wanted viewers to think about crime, punishment and justice for themselves.
She chose Kareena to play Ajooni, a police officer shown differently from many female police characters in films.
She chose Prithviraj to play Raman, whose background is not tied to one region.
Kareena also said actors should try different kinds of roles.
Prithviraj said Malayalam cinema is more informal than Bollywood in how films are made and cast.
Prithviraj Sukumaran said Daayra avoids presenting its central characters as entirely right or wrong.
Meghna Gulzar described Raman and Ajooni as opposing but complementary characters whose perspectives receive equal weight.
Gulzar chose Kareena Kapoor Khan for Ajooni and Prithviraj for the regionally neutral character Raman.
Kareena said she wants to avoid being confined to one image and continues exploring varied roles.
Prithviraj contrasted Malayalam cinema’s informal working culture with Bollywood’s more corporate casting process.
- Who
- Actors Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kareena Kapoor Khan, and filmmaker Meghna Gulzar.
- What
- They discussed their upcoming film Daayra, its characters and creative choices, along with differences between Malayalam cinema and Bollywood.
- When
- The discussion took place during the 16th edition of Expresso; the recorded conversation was scheduled to premiere on September 16 at 4 p.m.
- Where
- Taj Lands End in Mumbai.
- Why
- The conversation focused on Daayra and the participants’ views on acting, filmmaking and industry practices.
Balanced Moral Perspectives
Clear Moral Judgments
How Daayra presents its characters
Balanced Moral Perspectives
Prithviraj and Meghna Gulzar said the film gives comparable weight to Raman’s and Ajooni’s perspectives without validating either side.
Clear Moral Judgments
The article does not present a competing statement from someone arguing that either character should be clearly identified as right or wrong; this represents the conventional alternative implied by the film’s approach.
Industry working culture
Balanced Moral Perspectives
Prithviraj said Malayalam cinema’s informal, direct working style creates a tangible and humane quality and offers an easier way to collaborate.
Clear Moral Judgments
He said Bollywood’s agency-and-manager-based casting process is more corporate, while acknowledging that the system works.
Actors and image
Balanced Moral Perspectives
Kareena Kapoor Khan argued that actors should explore different parts rather than remain confined to a glamorous or familiar image.
Clear Moral Judgments
She acknowledged that audiences continue to remember her as Geet from Jab We Met, showing the continuing influence of established roles on an actor’s public image.
- Event
- The 16th edition of The Indian Express’s Expresso series
- Participants
- Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Meghna Gulzar
- Film discussed
- Daayra
- Central characters
- Raman and Ajooni
- Ajooni’s role
- A special investigation officer
- Conversation venue
- Taj Lands End, Mumbai
- Premiere timing
- September 16 at 4 p.m. on The Indian Express and SCREEN’s YouTube channels