Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran are coming together for the first time on screen in Daayra. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the upcoming film takes a disturbing crime, two conflicting approaches to justice and a system full of grey areas and puts them on a collision course.

With the trailer now out, Daayra has also raised an obvious question of whether it is based on a real case. Here’s everything to know about Daayra, from its plot and cast to its real-life inspiration and release date.

Daayra follows two senior police officers, DCP Ajooni Kohli, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan, and DCP Raman Kumar, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran. A major crime sets off a chain of events and investigations, eventually putting the two officers on opposite sides of the same case.

The trailer hints at a case involving the kidnapping and rape of a young woman, juvenile crime and a controversial police encounter. Raman has a reputation for taking a hard-line approach to policing, while Ajooni begins questioning the circumstances surrounding the case and the actions taken in the name of justice.

Both officers operate within the same system, but their ideas of duty, accountability and justice are markedly different.

Daayra is officially described as being inspired by true events. However, director Meghna Gulzar clarified at the film’s trailer launch that the movie is not based on a single real-life case. Instead, the story draws from several true incidents that have taken place across India. There had been speculation that Daayra was inspired by the 2019 Hyderabad rape and murder case, partly because of the similarities suggested by the trailer, particularly the crime, the police investigation and the controversial encounter that followed. However, the makers have not identified that incident as the film’s source.

Daayra brings together Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran for the first time on-screen. Besides them, it also stars

Jitendra Joshi, Kshitee Jog, Kanwaljeet Singh, Sandeep Kulkarni, Trupti Khamkar and Biswapati Sarkar, among others.

Siddharth Gupta, who recently played Lord Krishna in Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart, is being considered for the male lead in Janhvi Kapoor and Sreeleela’s upcoming thriller, as per our sources. The yet-to-be-titled film is being directed by Pagglait filmmaker Umesh Bist and is backed by Ektaa Kapoor and Guneet Monga Kapoor.

We hear that Gupta is currently among the names being considered for the part. If finalised, the casting would mark an interesting turn for the actor, who has spent more than a decade trying to establish himself in the industry and recently found wider recognition with Krishnavataram Part 1.

Gupta made his feature film debut with Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi in 2014 and later appeared in Ragini MMS: Returns.

On the work front, Janhvi Kapoor will next be seen in Atlee’s Raaka, alongside Allu Arjun, Deepika Padukone and Rashmika Mandanna. She also has Lag Jaa Gale with Tiger Shroff and Lakshya in the pipeline.

Sreeleela, meanwhile, has Anurag Basu’s untitled romantic musical with Kartik Aaryan in the pipeline. She will also be seen in the Tamil film OM: Chapter 1 – Udhiram: The Blood Wood, alongside Dhanush and Sai Pallavi.