With the trailer now out, Daayra has also raised an obvious question of whether it is based on a real case. Here’s everything to know about Daayra, from its plot and cast to its real-life inspiration and release date.
Daayra follows two senior police officers, DCP Ajooni Kohli, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan, and DCP Raman Kumar, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran. A major crime sets off a chain of events and investigations, eventually putting the two officers on opposite sides of the same case.
The trailer hints at a case involving the kidnapping and rape of a young woman, juvenile crime and a controversial police encounter. Raman has a reputation for taking a hard-line approach to policing, while Ajooni begins questioning the circumstances surrounding the case and the actions taken in the name of justice.
Both officers operate within the same system, but their ideas of duty, accountability and justice are markedly different.
Daayra is officially described as being inspired by true events. However, director Meghna Gulzar clarified at the film’s trailer launch that the movie is not based on a single real-life case. Instead, the story draws from several true incidents that have taken place across India. There had been speculation that Daayra was inspired by the 2019 Hyderabad rape and murder case, partly because of the similarities suggested by the trailer, particularly the crime, the police investigation and the controversial encounter that followed. However, the makers have not identified that incident as the film’s source.
Daayra brings together Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran for the first time on-screen. Besides them, it also stars
Jitendra Joshi, Kshitee Jog, Kanwaljeet Singh, Sandeep Kulkarni, Trupti Khamkar and Biswapati Sarkar, among others.
Daayra will release in cinemas on September 18, 2026. It is produced by Junglee Pictures and Dr Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios) and is distributed by Pen Marudhar.
Also Read: Beyond The Archetype: How Meghna Gulzar Keeps Breaking The Mould With Every New Character
