Prithviraj Sukumaran is returning to Hindi cinema with Daayra, Meghna Gulzar’s upcoming crime thriller that places two senior police officers on opposing sides of a complicated investigation. While the film’s trailer establishes a clear clash between Kareena Kapoor Khan’s DCP Ajooni Kohli and Prithviraj’s DCP Raman Kumar, the actor believes the film itself does not tell viewers which character is right or wrong.

In a recent conversation with Filmfare, Prithviraj spoke about the film’s deliberately objective approach to its subject. “Daayra doesn’t pick a side, it’s for the audience to decide,” he said, highlighting one of the central ideas behind Gulzar’s film.

Set against the aftermath of a disturbing crime, Daayra follows two officers whose understanding of law, duty and justice begins to diverge as the investigation progresses. Raman Kumar appears willing to push the boundaries of procedure, while Ajooni Kohli takes a more measured approach to the case. Their disagreement eventually becomes a larger debate about whether justice can ever be separated from the systems meant to deliver it.

Two cops, two ideas of justice

The trailer introduces Daayra as a story that is less interested in providing a straightforward answer and more invested in examining what happens when different interpretations of justice collide. The central crime acts as the catalyst, but the narrative gradually moves towards the consequences that follow and the choices made by those investigating it.

Prithviraj’s Raman is a senior police officer whose methods raise questions about the limits of institutional power. Kareena’s Ajooni, meanwhile, finds herself questioning the actions and assumptions surrounding the case. Both characters operate within the same system, but their approaches to justice are fundamentally different.

The film’s refusal to clearly designate one perspective as the correct one is part of what attracted Prithviraj to the project. The actor has previously explained that what drew him to Raman was the character’s complexity and the questions he grapples with during the investigation. He has also stressed that Daayra maintains its objectivity until the end, allowing viewers to arrive at their own conclusions.

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That approach places the audience in a particularly interesting position. Rather than simply following a hero’s pursuit of justice, viewers are asked to consider the arguments on both sides and decide for themselves where the line between justice, accountability and retribution lies.

Meghna Gulzar returns to morally complex territory

For Meghna Gulzar, Daayra marks another foray into the investigative drama following Talvar. The filmmaker has built a body of work that often examines complicated social and institutional questions without reducing them to simple binaries. Daayra continues that exploration by focusing on the grey areas surrounding crime and punishment.

The film is inspired by true events, although it is not based on one particular case. Its narrative draws from real-life incidents and systemic issues, using them as the foundation for a fictional story about the aftermath of a crime and the competing perspectives that emerge around it.

Daayra also marks the first screen collaboration between Kareena and Prithviraj. Both actors play senior police officers, giving the film’s central conflict an additional layer because the disagreement is not simply personal. It is rooted in their opposing beliefs about how the law should function and how justice should ultimately be served.

Written by Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal and Meghna Gulzar, the film is produced by Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios. The ensemble cast includes Jitendra Joshi, Kshitee Jog, Kanwaljeet Singh, Sandeep Kulkarni and Trupti Khamkar.

With its morally ambiguous premise and two leads representing contrasting points of view, Daayra is shaping up as a film that wants its audience to debate rather than dictate. As Prithviraj’s comments suggest, the final judgement belongs to those watching the story unfold.

Daayra is scheduled to release in cinemas on September 18.

Also Read: Netizens React To Daayra Trailer Starring Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran

Meghna Gulzar has built a reputation for telling stories that are rooted in difficult realities, often placing audiences inside morally complicated situations rather than offering easy answers. Her upcoming crime thriller Daayra continues that tradition, revolving around the aftermath of a brutal crime and the conflicting ideas of justice that emerge from it. But while viewers experience the emotional weight of such stories on screen, Gulzar says she has learnt to temporarily distance herself from the material while filming it.

In an interview with Filmfare, the filmmaker opened up about the emotional toll of working on stories involving violence and crime. Daayra, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, explores the aftermath of a young woman’s rape and murder and the controversial police encounter that follows. The film draws from multiple real-life incidents rather than being based on one specific case.

For Gulzar, the subject matter can be particularly difficult because she approaches it not only as a filmmaker but also as a woman and a mother. Yet she has found a way to compartmentalise those emotions when she is on set.

How Meghna Gulzar switches off while filming

Gulzar explained that she has developed what she describes as an internal switch that allows her to stop reacting emotionally to the material while she is directing it.

“I think there is a switch inside me which when turned on switches me off from reacting to the material, as a woman or as a mother who has a daughter.”

The filmmaker said she first became conscious of this mechanism while making Talvar, her 2015 investigative drama inspired by the Aarushi Talwar murder case. The process of filming disturbing scenes required her to focus on the technical aspects of filmmaking instead of allowing the subject matter to overwhelm her.

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“I had got this realization while making Talvar because the type of scenes I was filming were heart swaying. For me it was about continuity, technicality, timing, dialogue, placement, positioning. I was not paying attention to the content which was being filmed.”

Gulzar described this emotional detachment as an instinctive form of protection that enables her to function while dealing with deeply unsettling material.

“It is almost like an armour that you have which comes on subconsciously because you also have to function.”

The emotions return after the film is complete

While this detachment helps Gulzar navigate the filmmaking process, she admits that the emotions do not disappear. Instead, they can return with greater force once the work is finished and she no longer has the practical demands of a film set to occupy her mind.

The director recalled experiencing this after completing Talvar, when she finally began processing the emotional weight of the story she had spent months working on.

“After the film is directed and the movie releases, that is when weight of those scenes is experienced. I know it happened after Talvar. I did not sleep for three to four months because I started processing the film after it released.”

Gulzar expects Daayra to have a similar effect on her. She knows that the material will eventually catch up with her, but she says she cannot afford to let that happen while she is still responsible for bringing the film together.

“I know that will happen here as well. I don’t have the luxury of letting it happen to me while I am on set.”

Daayra marks Gulzar’s return to the investigative crime space after Talvar and brings together Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran as senior police officers who find themselves on opposing sides of a complicated case. Rather than presenting a straightforward battle between right and wrong, the film explores the grey areas between law, justice, morality and public perception.

The film is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18. With Daayra, Gulzar once again appears to be examining the institutions and individuals caught between an emotionally charged crime and the complicated pursuit of justice.

Also Read: Daayra trailer: 22 striking stills ft. Kareena Kapoor Khan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kshitee Jog & more

Abhishek Chaubey is set to explore a fascinating chapter from India’s coal belt with his next project, tentatively titled Pahalwaan. Backed by Excel Entertainment and MGM Studios, the high-octane action and political drama is said to be based on the life and world of Surya Deo Singh, the influential coal king of the 1970s.

Our source described the project as a “very high-octane action and political drama,” adding that the project promises a rugged and gritty world, with Chaubey’s distinctive storytelling style adding further intrigue to the material. Known for creating layered worlds and complex characters, the filmmaker’s involvement has naturally raised expectations around the ambitious project.

Interestingly, Pahalwaan also carries a deeply personal connection for its lead actor, Siddhant Chaturvedi. Surya Deo Singh hailed from Ballia, which is also the actor’s hometown, creating an unusual link between the performer and the world he is set to inhabit.

A source said, “Siddhant is going back into a world that is geographically very close to where he comes from, It’s a very high-octane action and political drama. Very rugged, very gritty.” Highlighting the personal resonance the project could hold for him.

The makers are reportedly thinking beyond a conventional streaming release. The larger plan is to develop Pahalwaan as the first season of a series for Amazon Prime, with the story eventually expanding into a theatrical spectacle. The format is being envisioned on an ambitious scale, with the makers looking at the kind of expansive world-building that made Mirzapur a cultural phenomenon.

With its combination of real-life inspiration, political drama, action and a sprawling universe, Pahalwaan could mark an intriguing new chapter in Chaubey’s filmography. For the actor at its centre, meanwhile, stepping into a story rooted in the geography of his own hometown could make the project particularly personal.

Also Read: “I Hope Every Shashank Finds His Roshni” – Siddhant Chaturvedi On Do Deewane Seher Mein