Daayra Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kshitee Jog, Jitendra Joshi
Director: Meghna Gulzar
What’s Good: The electric atmosphere and crackerjack pace all through
What’s Bad: Honestly, nothing!
Loo Break: Of course not!
Watch or Not?: There should be no embargo on watching it
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 143 Minutes
User Rating:
Police discover the charred body of a missing girl, Ragini Poojary (Pragati Mishra), in an isolated area. Forensic findings confirm she was raped and murdered. Law enforcement moves quickly, and the four perpetrators behind the heinous act are soon apprehended. Initially, Raman believes Ragini’s relatives—her mother Parvati (Kshitee Jog) and brother Kabir (Bhavesh Babbani)—will find solace in the arrests. However, a conversation with Parvati reveals that true closure will only come when the culprits receive their sentences, a milestone that could take years of grueling courtroom battles for the grieving family, all while carrying the risk that the criminals might secure lighter punishments.
That narrative unfolds later in the film. At the very beginning, audiences witness the lead investigator, DCP Raman Kumar (Prithviraj Sukumaran), being celebrated and honored by citizens because the four suspects were shot dead in a police encounter while attempting to flee.
Nevertheless, because there are grounds to suspect the encounter was a premeditated extrajudicial killing, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Ajooni Kohli (Kareena Kapoor Khan) is formed to uncover the facts. Ajooni has a reputation for taking strict action against officers and subordinates who coddle criminals or violate protocols, including staging fake encounters. Adhering strictly to the rulebook, she digs into DCP Raman’s past actions and uncovers substantial evidence pointing to Raman and his superior, Commissioner Anand (Biswapati Sarkar), taking matters into their own hands.
Daayra Movie Review: Script Analysis
Drawing inspiration from actual events, writers Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal, and director Meghna Gulzar deliver a top-tier screenplay that subtly educates and elevates while providing non-stop thrills. The shifting timeline between the recent past and the present is handled in an innovative and intensely captivating manner. We witness how Raman and his crew capture the guilty parties, while concurrently watching Ajooni interrogate his subordinates to unearth the absolute truth.
This entire procedural unfolds with such sharp execution that viewers remain hooked by the unyielding tension and pacing. The storyline contains no loopholes or weaknesses, blending traditional investigative work, pursuit sequences, and modern tools like phone records and CCTV footage into a potent, gripping blend. Coupled with the raw grief of the mother and subtle critiques of police negligence and inadequacy, the film accelerates effortlessly down the highway of audience engagement. Along the way, persistent questions emerge: Is justice truly achieved through legal channels? Where does a police officer’s duty end? And how should society view an offender under the age of 18 who receives leniency strictly due to his minor status?
Daayra Movie Review: Star Performance
Prithviraj Sukumaran delivers an outstanding performance as the unyielding Raman Kumar, a man driven by rigid convictions and a healthy disregard for the rulebook when executing his personal vision of justice. Kareena Kapoor Khan is a standout who commands every scene she enters. Her interactions with Raman—most notably their first and final exchange—are an absolute delight to watch. As an investigator, her expressive eyes and subtle, menacing aura are magnificent. This undoubtedly ranks as one of the finest female lead castings of the year.
Kshitee Jog shines equally bright as Parvati, and her shattering breakdown upon seeing her daughter’s corpse is, simply put, unforgettable. Among the supporting cast, Upendra Chauhan shines as Inspector Vishal, alongside Jitendra Joshi as Inspector Karad and Biswapati Sarkar as Commissioner Anand. The rest of the ensemble—playing officers, suspects, and other figures—deliver spot-on performances within a flawlessly cast production.
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Daayra Movie Review: Direction, Music
In terms of raw craftsmanship and storytelling, this project easily surpasses Raazi, which previously stood as Meghna Gulzar’s finest achievement. Her skill at drawing out the exact right emotions in every sequence highlights a profound mastery over the medium, the thriller genre, and procedural crime dramas. The brilliant touch of incorporating one of the actual criminals from the Nirbhaya case (classified back then as a juvenile and consequently legally free today) at precise moments is a cinematic masterstroke. Through this specific creative choice, the director elevates the film to new heights, strongly suggesting her personal alignment with Raman’s approach to such offenders over Ajooni’s philosophy.
Amit Trivedi’s lone track is decent, much like Gulzar’s lyrics. However, massive praise belongs to Ketan Sodha’s atmospheric background score, Saurabh Goswami’s impeccably framed cinematography, and the sharp editing by Meghna Gulzar and Charu Shree Roy, who ensure not a single superfluous frame remains in the final cut.
Daayra Movie Review: The Last Word
There is no limit to the number of times I would like to watch this motion picture.
Four and a Half stars!
Daayra Trailer
Daayra releases on 18th September, 2026.
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