27 August,2026 03:52 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Daayra poster. Pic via IMDb
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran are set to come face-to-face in filmmaker Meghna Gulzar's upcoming Daayra, a film that promises to explore the uncomfortable realities and moral grey areas of society. Ahead of the trailer release on August 31, Kareena and Meghna have offered a glimpse into the world of the film, which will hit cinemas on September 18.
Kareena, who plays ACP Ajooni Kohli, described Daayra as one of those films that stayed with her beyond the set and made her confront uncomfortable questions. "There are films you do, and then there are films that make you sit with things you may not always want to think about," she wrote, adding that becoming Ajooni Kohli had done exactly that for her.
The actor said she was particularly drawn to the way Meghna approaches the story without telling audiences what to think. Instead, the filmmaker takes viewers "into the grey", where two characters challenge and reflect each other, constantly changing the way the story is perceived.
Meghna Gulzar, known for films such as Talvar, Raazi, Chhapaak and Sam Bahadur, has described Daayra as a story rooted in duality. In her note about the film, she revealed that the journey of making it took her creatively and socially into territories she had not explored before.
Inspired by several true events from across India, Daayra is not set around one particular city or state. Instead, Meghna says the story reflects a reality that can exist "almost everywhere and anywhere" in the country.
At the centre of this world are two law enforcement officers who often find themselves on opposite sides of a delicate line. Kareena plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, who Meghna describes as "fiercely righteous", while Prithviraj stars as DCP Raman Kumar, who is "righteously fierce".
The filmmaker believes neither character can simply be placed in the boxes of right or wrong. "Sometimes the line of law guides them, sometimes it entraps them," she explained, with the film exploring how both officers navigate those conflicts.
Meghna also revealed that Daayra will showcase an unseen side of Kareena. As Ajooni, the actor is stoic and unreadable, someone who can crack open situations and people with a smile. Prithviraj's Raman, meanwhile, is described as being filled with a caged rage and rarely smiling.
Calling the two characters the "Ying and Yang" of Daayra, Meghna has set the stage for a story where the lines between binary choices and moral complexity constantly blur. The trailer arrives on August 31, with the film releasing in theatres on September 18.
