Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam (2026) Review!!

Synopsis – Revisits defining criminal trials in Indian history, exploring public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam’s role in legal battles surrounding the 1993 Bombay Blasts and 2008 Mumbai Train Attacks.

My Take – The horrific night of 26/11 continues to haunt India nearly two decades later. While films such as The Attacks of 26/11 (2013) and Hotel Mumbai (2018) offered harrowing depictions of the tragedy and its human cost, others struggled to move beyond familiar tropes or sensationalism. Taj Mahal (2015) provided an intimate survival story set amid the siege, whereas Phantom (2015) used the attacks as the backdrop for a fictional revenge thriller that just divided audiences.

This latest production from Maddock Films revisits those traumatic events from a distinctly different angle, shifting the focus away from the attacks themselves and toward the painstaking legal battle that followed. Rather than chronicling the carnage in detail, it examines the prosecution’s efforts to secure a conviction while navigating public scrutiny, legal challenges, and the immense weight of delivering justice to a grieving nation.

Directed by Avinash Arun (Three of Us), the film adopts the perspective of Ujjwal Nikam, one of India’s most renowned public prosecutors. It traces his role in the landmark trial of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist captured after the attacks. The case tested the resilience of India’s judicial system and gripped the nation as it unfolded under intense public attention. Although the storytelling remains largely straightforward, it offers a compelling account of the courtroom battle that followed one of Mumbai’s darkest chapters.

What proves especially refreshing is the film’s refusal to push a simplistic agenda rooted in nationalism, religion, or geopolitical tensions. Instead, it positions itself as a passionate argument for justice, drawing its emotional power from the victims and the collective desire for accountability.

However, while the film effectively captures the enormity of the case, it is less successful in revealing the man behind the formidable public persona. An untold story should ideally uncover dimensions beyond what history already records. The film succeeds in revisiting one of modern India’s most significant trials and highlights the painstaking pursuit of justice, yet it leaves viewers wanting a deeper exploration of the individual at its center.

Yet, for anyone looking for an engaging experience, the courtroom confrontations and emotionally charged moments should be absorbing enough, particularly when it concentrates on the prosecution’s relentless effort to turn an unprecedented tragedy into a landmark moment of justice.

The story follows Ujjwal Nikam (Rajkummar Rao), a principled and celebrated public prosecutor who rises to prominence after securing a conviction in the long-pending 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. Just as he prepares for his daughter’s engagement, Mumbai is once again struck by terror. Appointed special public prosecutor in the trial of Ajmal Kasab (Lalit Prabhakar), the lone terrorist captured alive after the 26/11 attacks, Nikam finds himself at the centre of one of the most significant legal battles in Indian history.

Determined to present the attacks as a single, coordinated act of terrorism, Nikam opts to file one comprehensive charge sheet rather than multiple cases. However, the path to justice is far from straightforward. Kasab repeatedly changes his account, denies responsibility for the killings, and is defended by Abbas Kazmi (Sikandar Kher), a lawyer committed to ensuring a fair trial despite facing criticism from his own community.

As Nikam works tirelessly to build an airtight case and establish Pakistan’s involvement in the attacks, the immense pressure of the trial begins to spill into his personal life. Away from the courtroom, Nikam grapples with family struggles he has long neglected. He learns too late about his wife Jyoti’s (Wamiqa Gabbi) deteriorating health and is forced to confront the emotional distance he has created within his household, shaped in part by unresolved wounds from his childhood.

Meanwhile, his US-returned son Aniket (Ritvik Sahore) initially hopes to support his father, only to grow disillusioned by the prosecutor’s relentless devotion to work at the expense of his family.

Together, these personal conflicts add a human dimension to a man consumed by the pursuit of justice. While the attacks themselves and their immediate aftermath have been depicted extensively on screen, the courtroom battle that followed has remained largely unexplored. This is where the film finds its strongest footing. Sumit Roy‘s screenplay moves at a steady pace, combining procedural detail with gripping courtroom confrontations and emotionally charged exchanges that keep the drama engaging throughout.

Here, director Avinash Arun approaches the material with restraint and confidence, trusting the inherent power of the story rather than resorting to sensationalism. The opening stretch is particularly effective, recreating the terror of 26/11 through a series of

unsettling and deeply affecting sequences. One especially heartbreaking moment involves a young girl breaking down as she describes her injuries and recalls the death of her pregnant mother, a scene that captures the human cost of the tragedy with devastating simplicity. The film also revisits the atrocities committed by Kasab and his fellow attackers. These recreations are raw and unsettling, conveying the horror of the events without exploiting them for spectacle.

The integration of actual footage from the period further enhances the film’s authenticity, giving several passages an almost documentary-like immediacy. Difficult as these moments are to watch, they ensure that the focus remains firmly on the victims and the scars left behind by the attacks.

Equally commendable is the film’s refusal to reduce the tragedy to simplistic nationalistic rhetoric. It avoids painting an entire country or community with the same brush and, crucially, prevents patriotism from slipping into jingoism. By keeping its attention on the judicial process and the pursuit of accountability, the film allows the courtroom drama to speak for itself rather than becoming a vehicle for chest-thumping nationalism.

Its biggest shortcoming, however, lies in the handling of Nikam’s personal life. The conflict between his professional obligations and familial responsibilities had the potential to provide the film with its most emotionally resonant dimension. Instead, these aspects remain largely underdeveloped. Apart from a few affecting moments involving Aniket, the narrative devotes limited attention to the emotional consequences of Nikam’s absence, leaving what could have been a compelling human counterpoint feeling frustratingly underexplored.

Performance wise, Rajkummar Rao anchors the film with a controlled and convincing turn as Ujjwal Nikam, balancing authority and vulnerability with ease. Wamiqa Gabbi is sincere despite limited scope, while Ritvik Sahore is effective as the conflicted son. Sikandar Kher and Aashish Vidyarthi deliver solid support, Jaideep Ahlawat leaves an impression in a brief role, and Lalit Prabhakar is chillingly believable as Kasab. The rest of the cast performs admirably. On the whole, ‘Prahaar‘ is a well-acted and engaging courtroom drama that shines brightest when focused on the relentless pursuit of justice.