Daayra Movie Review: Meghna Gulzar’s Film Ft Kareena Kapoor, Prithviraj Sukumaran Is Too Shallow For Its Subject!
Meghna Gulzar's Daayra will hit theatres on September 18. Read our review here.
2 / 5
Meghna Gulzar’s latest film deals with the sensitive topic of the rising r*pe crimes in India. The trailer suggested that Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s characters would represent two opposing moral views on how such cases should be dealt with. I was quite intrigued by the concept, and so I went into the theatre hoping to feel more strongly about a subject that I already feel strongly about. However, Daayra failed to leave me with much to think about; instead gave me several reasons to feel disappointed for a long time. Read our review here.
Plot
The story is inspired by several horrifying r*pe cases that make headlines almost every day. Prithviraj Sukumaran as DCP Raman leads an investigation of a brutal gang r*pe case, which leads to the arrest of the main accused. However, his conscience doesn’t allow him to put faith in the judiciary, and therefore he plans an encounter. Later, an SIT team led by Kareena Kapoor’s DCP Anjooni looks into the fake encounter case, and the climax of this film is left open-ended, basically for us to decide. Whose side are you on? Taking the law into your own hands, or letting the law take its course.
Story, Screenplay
We’ve seen several films on the topic of crimes against women, especially the r*pe crimes. Such films often strive to be hard-hitting, gritty and a reflection of the society that we are living in. Hereby reminding of you what women go through in the country, and the flaws in the system. Daayra attempts to take the route of challenging your conscience by presenting two sides of how these crimes need to be addressed. However, it ends up becoming a very Bollywoodified version of itself, with little to no depth whatsoever.
The story highlights the loopholes that exist on the ground level, which, if prevented, could lead to saving so many women. But most of the time, these aspects are either made preachy or dramatic, taking away the sensitivity that the subject required. And that annoys! The first half is mostly about the trauma and aftermath that the victim’s family is subjected to. But the problem is, I wasn’t feeling anything. The crime, the investigation, and the SIT probe are all brought together through a very disoriented storytelling, especially leading to a climax that made Daayra feel like a lost opportunity. More shocking, as it was a Meghna Gulzar film that was devoid of emotions.
Performances
For me, some strong emotions to this feeling were brought by Kshitee Jog, who plays the mother of the victim. The grief, pain and hopelessness are effortlessly portrayed by the actor. Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s characters, in my opinion, were not defined well, ultimately making us feel very disconnected from both of them. Daayra is unfortunately not a very performance-heavy film.
Also Read: Haiwaan Movie Review: Priyadarshan’s Thriller Ft Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar Disappoints!
Direction, Dialogues
Daayra might just be Meghna Gulzar’s weakest film so far. The nuance and treatment that one would expect in such films are missing in Daayra. A movie on such a sensitive subject deserves more seriousness than drama and caricature, and it’s more of the latter that we get. The dialogue writing is also quite average, and sometimes questionable, especially because some conversations in the film feel absolutely shallow and spoonfed, leaving no room for the audience to think for themselves.
Verdict
Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra ft Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran doesn’t do justice to the subject it intends to address.
First Published: September 17, 2026 6:39 PM
