Daayra
2026 Indian thriller film
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Daayra (transl. Circle) is an Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film co-written and directed by Meghna Gulzar. It was produced by Vineet Jain and Dhaval Jain under banner of Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios. Inspired by true event, the film stars Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran in pivotal roles. Besides Khan and Sukumaran, it also cast Kanwaljit Singh, Achint Kaur, Anuja Sathe, Seema Azmi, Biswapati Sarkar, Jitendra Joshi, Upendra Chauhan and others.
Sima Agarwal
Yash Keswani
Dhaval Gada
| Daayra | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Meghna Gulzar |
| Written by | Meghna Gulzar Sima Agarwal Yash Keswani |
| Produced by | Vineet Jain Dhaval Gada |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Saurabh Goswami |
| Edited by | Charu Shree Roy Meghna Gulzar |
| Music by | Amit Trivedi (song) Ketan Sodha (score) |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Pen Marudhar |
Release date |
|
Running time | 143 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Gulzar penned the lyrics, while Amit Trivedi composed the music and Ketan Sodha composed the background score. Saurabh Goswami served as the cinematographer, and Taran Bajaj was the casting director. Director Gulzar herself was the editor along with Charu Shree Roy.
Daayra was theatrically released on 18 September 2026.
Cast
- Kareena Kapoor as DCP Ajooni Kohli IPS
- Prithviraj Sukumaran as DCP Raman Kumar IPS
- Pragati Mishra as Ragini Pujari
- Kshitee Jog as Parvati Pujari, Ragini's mother
- Kanwaljit Singh as Ajooni Kohli's father
- Achint Kaur
- Anuja Sathe as Raman Kumar's wife
- Seema Azmi SP Indira Pandey
- Biswapati Sarkar as Police Commissioner Anand
- Jitendra Joshi
- Prammod Sanghi as Abhinandan Basu
- Mounis Ratta
- Sumali Khaniwale
- Upendra Chauhan as Bishal Mishra
- Trupti Khamkar
- Satish Badal
- Ashiesh Bist
- Ashutosh Sohan as Bablu Chaubey
Production
Development
In 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown in India, Meghna Gulzar was approached by Junglee Pictures to make Daayra, at that time she had already made her mind to direct Sam Bahadur (2023) next. She thought the subject would be always relevant, stating that the film tries to "explore the greys because everything is not black and white. What may be justice for you may be injustice for me, [...]".[2][3]
Several news sources reported that the film is based on 2019 Hyderabad case.[4][5] But Meghna Gulzar said that the "film does not draw its perspective from just one incident, instead the team looked at several cases while developing the story."[6][7]
Casting
In April 2025, it was announced that Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran would star in the crime-thriller.[8] Initially Ayushmann Khurrana and then Sidharth Malhotra were considered for the male lead, but both exited from the project due to scheduling conflicts.[9][10][11]
Filming
Principal photography commenced on 25 September 2025.[12][13] Filming concluded on 26 December 2025.[14]
Marketing
A trailer of the film was unveiled on 31 August 2026.[15] On 15 September, a promotion trailer was released on YouTube.[16]
Soundtrack
Initially Meghna Gulzar revealed that the film would feature no songs, as she felt that the screenplay did not provide scope for musical sequences.[17] Her father, lyricist Gulzar stated that she believed songs would disrupt the narrative flow and instead chose to retain the story's established tone.[18] However a song “Sach Ka Daayra” was released on 11 September 2026.[19] The song was penned by Gulzar, composed by Amit Trivedi and sung by B Praak.[20][21]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sach Ka Daayra" | Gulzar | Amit Trivedi | B Praak | 2:14 |
| Total length: | 2:14 | ||||
Release
The film received an A certificate from the CBFC, along with a finalised runtime of 143 minutes.[1] There was no visual cut and the violent scenes remain untouched expect a small modification in a dialogue by Khan.[22]
A special screening premiered in Mumbai and Delhi on 17 September in presence of makers and former Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai attended the Mumbai premier.[23][24]
The film was theatrically released on 18 September 2026, [25] coincidencing box office clash with Kapoor's sister-in-law's husband starrer Vibe.[26]
Critical reception
Shweta Keshri for India Today rated 3/5 stars and wrote "The cat-and-mouse tension that the investigation promises never quite materialises, and by the time the final confrontation arrives, the film has already told you where everyone stands."[27] Renuka Vyavahare for The Times of India stated "The film needed to dig deeper into what happens when extrajudicial action, however satisfying or efficient, undermines the very system of justice the police are meant to uphold."[28]
Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times rated the movie 3/5 stars and stated "The film has enough moral complexity to make that question linger, even if its trajectory and pace blunt some of its impact. By the time the end credits roll, you are left with a film that has substance and clearly wants to provoke thought, but could have used a little more fire to truly leave a mark."[29] Mimansa Shekhar of Times Now praised Khan and Sukumaran's performance and Gulzar's directorial and wrote "The film, rather than offering the rape investigation as a straightforward good vs. evil story, seems more interested in the legal process, police accountability, and the uncomfortable gap between justice in theory and justice in practice."[30]
Titas Chowdhury of News18 opined "Needless to say, this film is an urgent watch. This is a story that needs to be told, not just once, but again and again, until we stop looking away."[31] Nikita Toppo of Wion opined "Though the film drags slightly in some portions and a few characters feel underexplored, Daayra has a strong story and a powerful cast."[32]
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV felt that "post-interval chase sequences" are "heightened by hyperactive camerawork". Chatterjee wrote "As the first two events play out and the follow-up unfolds, the film seeks to put in perspective the vulnerability of women in public spaces and the apathy of law enforcement agencies with direct allusions to the Delhi Nirbhaya gangrape case."[33] Shubhra Gupta for The Indian Express rated the movie 2 out of 5 stars and stated "the director attempts to take the discomfort several notches higher."[34]
