Knew that the story of ‘Daayra’ will always be relevant, says Meghna Gulzar

Knew that the story of ‘Daayra’ will always be relevant, says Meghna Gulzar

Mumbai, Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar says she was first approached to make "Daayra" in 2020 and while she had already decided to move ahead with "Sam Bahadur", she knew that the story will always be relevant.

Knew that the story of ‘Daayra’ will always be relevant, says Meghna Gulzar

Known for films such as "Raazi" and "Chhapaak", the filmmaker said she wanted to explore the differing reactions within police, law and public when it comes to crime against women.

"'Daayra' was actually sent my way by Junglee Pictures back in 2020, during the lockdown. It was a story whose intention grabbed me, like, what was it trying to say and why was it so important to say it? At that time, I knew that I'm going to be making 'Sam Bahadur' next, which I did. But we also knew, all of us, that even four years later, when I start making 'Daayra', it's still going to be relevant, unfortunately," Meghna told PTI in an interview.

Written by Meghna, Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal, the story unfolds in the aftermath of a crime that grips the nation sparking widespread outrage while setting a series of events and two investigations in motion.

As the search for answers deepens, two senior police officers, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, navigate the same system through different approaches to duty and justice, on opposing sides of a case that challenges the very idea of right and wrong, reads the official synopsis of the movie.

"What 'Daayra' tries to do is explore the greys because everything is not black and white. What may be justice for you, may be injustice for me, it depends on which side of the line we are standing on," she added.

The film, in that sense, leans closer to the procedural tone of her 2015 investigative drama "Talvar", which was loosely based on the 2008 Noida double murder case of a teenage girl and the family servant.

Asked what is it about institutions that keeps drawing her as a filmmaker, be it military in "Sam Bahadur", criminal justice in "Talvar" and intelligence agency in "Raazi", the director said it is always the story rather than a particular world or people that draw her in.

"If the emotion in that story hook me, it's an instant and completely instinctive choice to tell that story. It just so happens that it involves people in uniform, or it involves being true life, or period. That was never intended. It's more coincidence than conscious planning."

It was initially reported that "Daayra" is inspired from 2019 Hyderabad rape case but Meghna said the film is an amalgamation of several real cases from across the country.

"'Daayra' is not based in a particular city, which is from South India or North India, it's completely region neutral. The characters are region neutral, because this is not the success or the failure of a particular police force of a particular state," Meghna said.

She, however, admitted that adapting real incidents into fiction isn't easy and requires a careful balance between cinematic storytelling and a sense of responsibility.

"The cinematic liberty that we have taken is maybe a bit from here, a bit from there. But we've never ever 'tadkaoed' it or fictionalised it to creative liberty extent.

"For example, my criminal's motivation could be the motivation of criminals from three different cases, and not just one. My public reaction or the reaction of law enforcement could be from two different cases and not just one. But is it fictional? Did I create that reaction? No, that's the difference."

Which is why the research and writing for "Daayra" took around two years, she said.

"A lot of cases that we've come across and are still coming across as we keep collecting and we keep reading are gut-wrenching, not just shocking," the director said.

The region-neutral nature of the story made it essential to bring together talent from different film industries, and hence Kareena, a top Hindi movie star, and Malayalam star Prithviraj were roped in for "Daayra".

The two actors brought their own interpretations to the characters and elevated them beyond what was written in the script.

"They are both spontaneous and instinctive. With Prithviraj, he also looks at... like, he will tell the other actor, you were standing here in the previous shot and your right hand was up because he's also a director. So, he will remember somebody else's continuity as well," Meghna said.

"Kareena will also do that, but it will be more on an emotional level rather than a technical level. But otherwise, they're both instinctive and definitely not method driven."

Asked whether she has ever dealt with the film's central concern about boundaries imposed on women, the filmmaker, who is the daughter of veteran writer-poet-lyricist and filmmaker, Gulzar, and actor Rakhee, said she personally has not experienced "prejudice or differential treatment" because of her "gender".

She said she has encountered both advantages and disadvantages tied to her surname.

"Did I face anything different because of what my surname was? The word nepotism became a flavour of the month for a while, it swung both ways. People would give you an opportunity to hear you out because of what your surname is. Also drag you down, saying 'who do you think you are because of what your surname is?'

"So, it's a double-edged sword. Similarly, I feel that this gender psychology is how much you are aware of it or attuned to it. I tune it out. My world, my film world, my film sets are not coloured by gender, we are all equal," she said.

Produced by Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios, "Daayra" will release in cinemas on September 18.

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