Kareena Kapoor Khan’s ‘entirely unseen facet’ side in Daayra leaves Meghna Gulzar impressed: ‘Stoic, unreadable’

Ahead of the trailer launch on August 31, filmmaker Meghna Gulzar has shared a heartfelt note about her journey with the film.

The much-awaited trailer of Daayra starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran will be unveiled on August 31. Ahead of the big reveal, filmmaker Meghna Gulzar has shared a heartfelt note about her journey with the film, opening up about the places it took her, both literally and creatively, and the questions it made her confront along the way. Looking back at films such as Talvar, Raazi, Chhapaak and Sam Bahadur, Meghna reflected on her long-standing interest in stories that exist beyond clear-cut ideas of right and wrong.

Meghna Gulzar says Daayra invades the grey, calls Kareena Kapoor Khan-Prithviraj Sukumaran are its ‘Ying and Yang’.

What Meghna Gulzar wrote

Meghna looked back at her lifelong connection with Mumbai and her travels across India, admitting that Daayra still took her to places she had never been before. The film also pushed her into unfamiliar creative territory and made her look at society from a perspective she had not explored earlier.

She began her note on Instagram by saying, “I was born in Mumbai. Having lived here all my life; and having travelled extensively across India, I thought I knew most of the city and the country through my life's journey so far. But the journey of Daayra took me to unseen and unvisited places. And that's just the geography. Daayra took my creativity to areas I have never explored before. It took my social awareness to reaches I didn't know I had.”

Having studied Sociology, Meghna said she has long believed that life cannot be viewed in simple black-and-white terms. She added, “As a student of Sociology, I learned that our life and our society is not binary. It's not just black and white. There is a spectrum of grey that we exist in. In my journey as a filmmaker — through Talvar, Raazi, Chhapaak and SamBahadur, I have cherished exploring that very grey - within characters and within the world they, and we live in. Daayra for me, not only explores that grey... It invades it... it attempts to dismantle it. And that is the irony of Daayra. While it is not binary, not black or white, and is certainly grey —It is also, always dual. At its core Daayra is only about duality. And this duality is entrenched through the two main protagonists of the film. Kareena Kapoor Khan plays DCP Ajooni Kohl'. DCP Raman Kumar is portrayed by Prithviraj Sukumaran.”

Meghna also spoke about casting Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, calling it a dream to bring two celebrated actors from the Hindi and Malayalam film industries together and have them go head-to-head in the story. She went onto write, “As a casting opportunity, it was a dream come true for me. To get two prolific actors from the Hindi and Malayalam film industry to face each other off. Because Daayra is a story that is inspired by not one, but several true events that have occurred across our country. Daayra is a story that takes place, not in a particular city or state of India; but does happen almost everywhere and anywhere in our country. That world of Daayra is brought to life by an amazing ensemble cast and an exceptional crew.”

Meghna also opened up about the equation between Ajooni and Raman. While both are police officers, their approach to justice often puts them on opposite sides, blurring the line between what is right and what is wrong. “In it, the main protagonists — Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran are both officers of law enforcement; and yet, they often find themselves on opposite sides of a delicate line. Kareena's Ajooni is fiercely righteous. Prithviraj as Raman is righteously fierce. As in life, so in Daayra, they are neither black nor white. They are both swirling in a sea of grey. Sometimes the line of law guides them, sometimes it entraps them. And Daayra explores how they navigate these journeys,” she further wrote.

Meghna also spoke about the performances of both actors, highlighting the intensity they bring to their characters. She described Kareena’s Ajooni as calm, stoic and hard to read, while Prithviraj’s Raman carries a simmering anger that is rarely allowed to surface. She added, “I was blessed with the faith and the immense talent of both these spectacular actors, who interpreted their characters with such intensity, while also unmistakably expressing the underlying duality that Daayra is all about. Daayra unveils an entirely unseen facet of the actor that is Kareena Kapoor Khan. Kareena as Ajooni, is stoic, unreadable. She cracks open situations and people with a smile. Prithviraj Sukumaran as Raman, is the hinge to Kareena's Ajooni. Seething with a caged rage. And almost never smiles. The two are the Ying and Yang of Daayra. And that's just one of the many dualities that Daayra navigates.”

Concluding her note, Meghna invited audiences to step into the complicated world of Daayra and explore the questions that sit at the centre of the film: “So here's welcoming you to the binary and the grey that is Daayra. There are many questions. Let's explore the answers together?”

When is the film releasing

Inspired by true events, Daayra is helmed by Meghna Gulzar, with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran leading the cast. Meghna has co-written the film with Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal. Backed by Junglee Pictures and Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios), the film will be distributed by Pen Marudhar. The film is releasing in theatres on September 18, 2026.