Archive · 18 Sep 2026
Daayra Review: Kareena Kapoor, Prithviraj Lead Meghna Gulzar’s Police Drama
Daayra is a crime film about two police officers who see justice differently.
One officer, Raman, wants quick action against criminals.
The other, Ajooni, believes investigations must carefully follow the law.
The story includes a rape-murder case and an investigation into whether a police shooting was justified.
The film jumps between different moments instead of telling everything in order.
It also shows how public anger and media pressure can push people toward instant punishment.
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran play the two main officers.
The review praises Meghna Gulzar and editor Charu Shree Roy for keeping the story tense.
It says the film asks whether justice comes from careful legal work or fast retaliation.
Daayra follows two contrasting police officers investigating a rape-murder and a disputed police encounter.
DCP Raman Kumar favors swift action, while DCP Ajooni Kohli insists on due process.
The film moves between multiple timelines and investigations using frequent parallel cutting.
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran are praised for grounded, intense performances.
Meghna Gulzar’s direction, editing, lighting, and camera work distinguish the film from routine police thrillers.
- Who
- DCP Ajooni Kohli, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan, and DCP Raman Kumar, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran, are the central figures; Meghna Gulzar directed the film.
- What
- Daayra is a police drama about a rape-murder investigation, a disputed police encounter, and the conflict between due process and instant justice.
- When
- The story is set in 2019 and unfolds across events separated by several days.
- Where
- The film takes place in an indeterminate city, while its crime-drama context recalls cases associated with Delhi and Hyderabad.
- Why
- The film examines police ethics, public pressure for immediate punishment, women’s vulnerability, and the tension between legal procedure and retaliatory justice.
Due Process
Instant Action
How justice should proceed
Due Process
DCP Ajooni Kohli believes the law should take its own course and supports careful investigation, even when justice is slow.
Instant Action
DCP Raman Kumar prioritizes swift results and argues that police action should prevent suspects from exploiting legal loopholes.
Police use of force
Due Process
Ajooni questions whether force and an allegedly fake encounter can be justified without proper scrutiny.
Instant Action
Raman presents his conduct as routine self-defense and maintains that the law has done its duty.
Public pressure
Due Process
The film emphasizes the risks of media-driven demands for immediate punishment and the need to separate truth from face-saving claims.
Instant Action
Public anger and widespread demands for instant justice create pressure for decisive police action against alleged criminals.
- Director
- Meghna Gulzar
- Lead cast
- Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran
- Setting
- An indeterminate city in 2019
- Central cases
- A rape-murder investigation and an inquiry into an allegedly fake encounter
- Production
- Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios
- Screenplay
- Sima Agarwal, Yash Keswani, and Meghna Gulzar
- Editing
- Meghna Gulzar and Charu Shree Roy