National award-winning director Meghna Gulzar believes that filmmakers adapting real-life events have a responsibility to remain honest to the reality at the heart of the story. Known for films such as Talvar and Daayra, Gulzar says cinematic changes are possible, but the central truth of an incident should never be compromised.

Speaking to Zoom, the Daayra director opened up about her approach to telling stories inspired by real events. According to Meghna, filmmakers can change the way a story is structured or presented for the screen, but they must preserve what actually happened.

“The most important thing is to remain true to the core truth of the story. You can change the structure or presentation for cinema, but you cannot change the basic truth,” she said.

Gulzar also stressed the importance of sensitivity when portraying painful or disturbing incidents. She believes filmmakers need to be careful that difficult realities are not presented merely for shock value or entertainment.

“Sensitivity is very important. You have to show the pain without using it only for shock or entertainment. Sometimes, knowing what not to show is as important as knowing what to show. Just because you can show something does not mean you need to show it,” she explained.

While discussing the creative liberties taken in Daayra, Gulzar explained that the film combines elements from different places to shape its cinematic narrative. However, she maintained that these changes were not made to exaggerate or sensationalise the events.

“The cinematic liberty that we have taken is maybe a bit from here, a bit from there. But we’ve never ever spiced it up or fictionalised it to creative liberty extent,” she said.

Meghna Gulzar further explained that the reactions and emotions depicted in the film were not created solely for dramatic effect. “Did I create that reaction? No. That’s the difference,” she added.

Through Daayra, Gulzar continues her focus on sensitive and socially relevant subjects, while emphasising the need to balance cinematic storytelling with the responsibility that comes with portraying real events.

Daayra hits cinemas on September 18, 2026.

Also Read: Daayra Movie Review: Gritty and Compelling

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