Daayra Movie Review: Kareena Kapoor, Prithviraj Sukumaran

Daayra Movie Review: A Serious Take on Justice, Morality and a Broken System

Daayra, directed by Meghna Gulzar and starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is a crime drama that chooses a difficult subject: the conflict between justice, public anger, police action and the rule of law.

Released in theatres on September 18, 2026, the film revolves around two senior police officers who find themselves on opposite sides of a controversial investigation. Kareena plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, while Prithviraj portrays DCP Raman Kumar.

Rather than presenting a straightforward crime story, Daayra asks a more uncomfortable question: What happens when society's demand for immediate justice comes into conflict with legal procedure?

The Story

The film begins against the backdrop of a disturbing case involving the death of a young woman and the subsequent killing of the accused in a police encounter.

DCP Raman Kumar becomes the face of the public's demand for swift action, while DCP Ajooni Kohli approaches the matter through investigation and legal procedure. Their contrasting approaches form the central conflict of the film.

The story is inspired by real events and examines the complicated relationship between public emotion, policing and institutional accountability.

What makes the setup interesting is that the film doesn't simply divide its characters into heroes and villains. Instead, it puts two different ideas of justice against each other.

Kareena Kapoor Khan as DCP Ajooni Kohli

Kareena Kapoor Khan takes on a restrained role as Ajooni Kohli, an investigating officer who believes that facts and procedure cannot simply be pushed aside because public sentiment demands immediate punishment.

Her performance is controlled rather than flashy. The character has an important position in the narrative, although some critics have argued that the writing does not give Ajooni enough dramatic depth compared with Raman.

Kareena fits naturally into the role of a senior police officer, particularly in the quieter investigative moments.

Prithviraj Sukumaran Steals the Spotlight - Daayra Movie Review

Prithviraj Sukumaran arguably gets the more immediately impactful character.

As Raman Kumar, he represents the anger surrounding the case and the belief that decisive police action can deliver the justice people want. His performance gives the character intensity without turning him into a conventional action hero.

Several reviews have specifically highlighted Prithviraj's performance as one of the film's strongest elements.

His character also creates the film's most interesting moral debate: Is an outcome that feels like justice necessarily justice under the law? Daayra Movie Review

Meghna Gulzar's Direction

Meghna Gulzar once again works in the territory of morally complicated stories.

The direction keeps the film serious and avoids turning the subject into a conventional commercial thriller. The investigative portions are among the film's stronger sections, while the screenplay attempts to maintain a balance between emotional outrage and legal procedure.

However, the film's pacing becomes less consistent as it progresses. Some critics have pointed to a loss of momentum and an underwhelming climax, while other reviews have appreciated the film's detailed procedural approach.

What Works

• Strong central premise

• Prithviraj Sukumaran's intense performance

• Kareena Kapoor Khan's restrained portrayal

• Serious treatment of justice and police procedure

• Strong supporting performances, particularly Kshitee Jog

• Thought-provoking moral conflict

• Meghna Gulzar's controlled visual and narrative approach

Kshitee Jog, who plays Ragini's mother, has also received praise for bringing emotional weight to the film.

What Doesn't Work

The biggest issue with Daayra is that its ambitious subject sometimes feels larger than the screenplay.

The film raises several important questions but doesn't always push them to their most uncomfortable conclusions. The second half can feel stretched, and the final confrontation doesn't deliver the level of impact the buildup promises. These concerns have also appeared in multiple reviews.

The contrast between Ajooni and Raman is compelling, but the screenplay could have explored their opposing philosophies with greater complexity.

Final Verdict

Daayra is a serious and well-performed crime drama with a strong central conflict, but its execution is not consistently as powerful as its subject.

Prithviraj Sukumaran delivers one of the film's strongest performances, while Kareena Kapoor Khan brings restraint and credibility to her role. Meghna Gulzar deserves credit for taking on a morally complicated subject rather than delivering a conventional revenge-driven police thriller.

The film works best when it focuses on the question of justice versus procedure. Where it loses some impact is in its pacing, character development and climax.

Our Rating: 3/5 ⭐

Verdict: A thought-provoking crime drama with strong performances and an important debate at its core, but it falls short of making its final impact as sharp as its premise suggests.

Current critical reception is mixed rather than uniformly positive: Rotten Tomatoes currently lists 73% from 15 critics, while individual Indian reviews range from praise for the performances and procedural detail to criticism of the screenplay, pacing and climax.