Is India Losing Faith in the Justice System? 5 Unflinching Moments From National Award-Winning Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar’s Intriguing ‘Daayra’ Trailer
Daayra brings Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran together for the first time, where both the characters believe they are pursuing justice but differ on how justice should be delivered. Inspired by true events, the film arrives in cinemas on September 18, 2026.
Known for her craft and excellence, Daayra is directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, whose previous successful films include Raazi, Talvar and Sam Bahadur. Daayra brings Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran together for the first time, where both the characters believe they are pursuing justice but differ on how justice should be delivered. Inspired by true events, the film arrives in cinemas on September 18, 2026.
‘Daayra’ Trailer Asks the Right Questions
The Daayra trailer digs into the kind of questions that can divide an entire society. When horrific crimes keep making headlines and public outrage reaches a boiling point, how long can people be expected to wait for justice? What happens when the people entrusted with upholding the law begin questioning the law themselves? Does taking matters into your own hands ever become justified? Daayra appears ready to ask exactly that and refuses to hand us an easy answer. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran play two police officers who may be fighting for the same thing, but could not have more different ideas of how to get there. Let’s take a look at the unflinching moments from the ‘Daayra’ trailer:
1. When a Police Encounter Becomes a Question of Justice
The Daayra trailer’s press conference sequence immediately hits a nerve. The conversation around the police taking justice into their own hands in the name of self-defence feels particularly relevant, given how encounters and the question of due process have repeatedly sparked public debate in India. Daayra brings that debate into sharp focus, asking where the line between justice and vengeance really lies — and what happens when those entrusted with the law begin deciding for themselves what justice should look like.
2. “100 Mein Se 99 Baar, Ladki Ghar Aa Jaati Hai…Par Woh Ek Baar?”
In the Daayra trailer, one of the most chilling exchanges comes when a police officer says, “100 mein se 99 baar, ladki ghar aa jaati hai, sir.” (In such cases, the girl returns home 99 percent of the time.) Prithviraj Sukumaran’s DCP Raman Kumar responds with a simple but piercing question: “Aur woh ek baar?” (And that one time that she doesn’t?) In just four words, the conversation shifts from statistics to the human cost of crime. Because for the family of that one girl, being the exception isn't a statistic – it is a life forever changed.
3. A Mother’s Grief Needs No Dialogue
Kshitee Jog’s character delivers one of the Daayra trailer’s most heartbreaking moments without needing to say much at all. Her reaction upon seeing the dead body of her child is raw, helpless and devastating. Amid investigations, evidence and questions of law, the moment brings the human cost of the crime front and centre a life lost and a family left to deal with the aftermath.
4. “Idhar Dhul Kahan Hai Sahab, Idhar Toh Kadak Mitti Hai.”
The investigation by Kareena Kapoor Khan’s character Ajooni into the encounter hints at the uncomfortable realities surrounding police encounters — and the ways narratives can be constructed to fit within the gaps in the system. Should an encounter be treated as a means to justice, or should justice lie only in the hands of the law? By bringing the mechanics of an encounter, the gaps within the system and the delays within the judicial process into its narrative, Daayra refuses to take sides. Instead, it mirrors a reality where institutional failures can blur the lines between procedure, accountability and justice. It is another moment that makes the film’s world feel uncomfortably close to the real one.
5. “Ek Juvenile Jo Rape Aur Murder Kar Sakta Hai, Uski Protection Kyun?”
Perhaps the Daayra trailer’s most provocative question comes around the Juvenile Justice system. “Ek juvenile jo rape aur murder kar sakta hai, uski protection kyun?” (Why is a juvenile who can commit rape and murder being protected?) It is an intentionally uncomfortable question, forcing audiences to confront the difficult balance between protection, punishment and accountability. And that may be what makes Daayra so intriguing. Rather than handing audiences easy answers or clearly defined sides, the trailer appears to place them in the grey zone – leaving them to question the system, the people within it and, ultimately, what justice really means.
About ‘Daayra’
Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Meghna Gulzar and inspired by true events, Daayra brings Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran together for the first time, with the two playing DCPs who find themselves on opposing sides of a deeply unsettling investigation. Produced by Junglee Pictures and Dr Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios), and distributed by Pen Marudhar, Daayra releases in cinemas on September 18, 2026.
