Daayra, directed by Meghna Gulzar and starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, released in cinemas today, marking the first collaboration between the two lead actors.
The investigative crime thriller follows the fallout of a rape case and the alleged encounter killing of four accused men, exploring questions of justice and moral authority.
Kareena Kapoor Khan plays a police officer named Ajooni, with critics praising her restrained, quietly authoritative performance over the typical aggressive cop portrayal.
The 143-minute film has drawn strong reviews, with ratings ranging between 3.5 and 4 stars across major publications.
Critic Ramesh Bala described it as a ‘gripping investigative thriller backed by a solid police procedural,’ praising both lead performances.
Daayra is directed by Meghna Gulzar, known for previous films including Talvar, Raazi and Sam Bahadur.
The film marks the first time Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran have starred together on screen.
The story follows investigations into a rape case and the alleged encounter killing of four accused men, examining questions of justice and morality.
Kareena Kapoor Khan plays a police officer named Ajooni, with reviewers noting her performance leans into quiet authority rather than the aggressive cop archetype common in Hindi crime dramas.
The film runs 143 minutes and maintains tension through a police-procedural structure rather than dramatic excess.
Reviewers have rated the film between 3.5 and 4 stars, with critic Ramesh Bala calling it a ‘gripping investigative thriller backed by a solid police procedural.’
The film does not shy away from the harsh realities surrounding its central crime, examining the question of justice from multiple perspectives.
Both lead actors have been praised for holding the film together through restraint, with the story avoiding easy answers about who is right in a cop-versus-cop conflict.
Meghna Gulzar’s earlier film Raazi, also a tense thriller, was a major commercial and critical success and is often cited as a reference point for her directorial style.
Regal Cinema, Mumbai (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
