Daayra (2026) Review!!

Synopsis – A gripping investigative narrative that explores how a diabolical act creates polarizing reactions throughout society, fracturing opinions and challenging viewers to seek truth beyond easy answers.

My Take – Without a doubt, Talvar (2015) remains Meghna Gulzar’s finest work as a filmmaker. Inspired by the real-life murder of a 14-year-old girl, the film went beyond the mechanics of a crime investigation to expose the prejudices, assumptions and contradictions that shape our perceptions of adolescents, parenting and guilt. It challenged viewers to confront their own notions of right and wrong, leaving behind questions that lingered long after the credits rolled.

With her latest directorial venture, director Gulzar seeks to push that discomfort even further, tackling another deeply sensitive subject through storytelling designed to provoke reflection. Drawing inspiration from the killing of four Hyderabad men who died during a police re-enactment after being accused of raping and murdering a young woman, the film also echoes the failures that surfaced in the aftermath of the infamous Delhi gang rape case and other similar incidents where authorities were initially slow to act on reports of missing girls.

Rather than focusing solely on the crime itself, the narrative interrogates the institutions surrounding it, raising unsettling questions about policing, accountability, due process and the true meaning of justice. The film operates in the uneasy territory between legality and morality, procedure and closure, restraint and outrage. It asks difficult and necessary questions, even if its central ideological clash could have benefited from sharper, more evenly balanced perspectives.

Co-written by Meghna Gulzar, Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani, the film unfolds as a measured, well-acted police procedural that deliberately sidesteps the conventional cops-versus-criminals framework. Instead, it places two senior police officers, each firmly convinced of their own righteousness, on opposing sides of a moral and professional divide. The resulting conflict gives the film a compelling ethical ambiguity, encouraging audiences to wrestle with the same questions that haunt its characters.

Yes, while the film possesses considerable substance and sincerity, its deliberate pacing and predictable trajectory occasionally dilute its emotional impact. By the end, it stands as an intelligent and thought-provoking drama that sparks conversation, even if it falls just short of achieving the lasting power its subject matter demands.

Structured as parallel investigations, the story follows DCP Raman Kumar IPS (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and DCP Ajooni Kohli IPS (Kareena Kapoor Khan), two senior police officers whose opposing views on justice place them on a collision course. The case begins when a young girl goes missing from a highway. Although her family approaches the police for help, their concerns are initially dismissed. The following day, her body is discovered, transforming the case into a national media flashpoint.

Tasked with leading the investigation, Raman Kumar moves swiftly. Within days, his team arrests four suspects, who allegedly confess to raping and murdering the victim before setting her body on fire. However, before the accused can be produced in court, they are killed in what the police describe as a shootout carried out in self-defense. While much of the public celebrates the deaths as swift justice, others question whether the encounter was genuine or a carefully orchestrated execution.

To determine the truth, a Special Investigation Team is formed under Ajooni Kohli, a principled officer who believes justice must be pursued through due process, regardless of how long it takes. As she begins to scrutinize the encounter, she grows convinced that the operation may have been staged by Raman and his team. What follows is not a conventional battle between cops and criminals, but a compelling clash of ideologies. Both officers seek justice for the victim, yet their fundamentally different beliefs about the law, accountability and morality place them on opposite sides of the same case.

Here, director Meghna Gulzar, returning to the terrain of crime, investigation and punishment that she explored so effectively before, embraces a restrained, grounded storytelling approach, elevated by sharp editing and a keen sense of narrative control. The first half unfolds with deliberate patience rather than relentless suspense. Given the gravity of its subject, the film benefits from allowing the investigation to develop organically rather than rushing from one revelation to the next.

This measured pace lends the procedural elements a sense of authenticity, even if it occasionally comes at the cost of momentum. The trade-off is noticeable, as the narrative sometimes lacks the urgency one might expect from a case of such disturbing magnitude. The second half gathers momentum considerably, steering the story toward an engaging and emotionally charged climax. While the destination itself may not be entirely unexpected, the journey remains compelling enough to sustain interest.

The film’s real strength lies not in plot twists, but in the uncomfortable questions it poses about institutions, accountability and the limits of justice. What truly elevates the film is its moral ambiguity. As the script refuses to offer easy answers or clear heroes and villains. Instead, she presents two competing visions of justice and trusts the audience to navigate the ethical complexities for themselves.

The film also touches upon the contentious debate surrounding juvenile protection, echoing discussions that emerged in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya case. Raman and Ajooni are not adversaries in the conventional sense; they are two committed officers who genuinely believe they are serving the public, yet fundamentally disagree on what justice demands. That tension gives the film its edge, even if the screenplay could have pushed their ideological confrontation further and with greater intensity. The two lead actors bear the weight of the film with admirable ease.

Performances wise, Prithviraj Sukumaran is excellent, bringing conviction and intensity to Raman Kumar’s morally complex character. Kareena Kapoor Khan is equally impressive, portraying Ajooni Kohli with intelligence, restraint and occasional flashes of humor that lighten the film’s otherwise serious tone.

Among the supporting cast, Kshitee Jog, Jitendra Joshi and Trupti Khamkar stand out with assured performances, while the rest of the ensemble provides solid support. On the whole, ‘Daayra‘ is a thought-provoking crime drama that raises important questions about law, justice and accountability, even if it’s central conflict could have been more sharply developed.