Exclusive: Prithviraj Sukumaran on ‘Daayra’, Working With Kareena Kapoor Khan and Meghna Gulzar, Bollywood Vs South Divide, and More

Known as a maverick actor-director in South Indian cinema and equally loved by North Indian audiences for his work in Bollywood, Prithviraj Sukumaran never fails to surprise his audiences. Fresh off the release of his 2026 Malayalam films I, Nobody and Khalifa, Prithviraj Sukumaran will be seen in his latest Hindi film, Daayra, in a major role. Helmed by the acclaimed director Meghna Gulzar and co-starring the impeccable Kareena Kapoor Khan as one of the two main leads with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Daayra promises a treat for audiences. Based on various incidents of true crime but not on any particular incident, Daayra is a story relevant to our times and needed to be told. The film will showcase the dilemma faced by the people who are investigating the case, and offer a glimpse of the effects the crime and the judicial system have on society. In an exclusive interview with LatestLY, actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran speaks about his experience working in Daayra, and the sensitive topic the film handles. The ever-articulate actor also talks about his process of acting and him as a director, and gives his opinion on the Bollywood vs South debate in the film industry. Prithviraj further speaks about audience expectations and the fate of a film. Excerpts from the interview.

Prithviraj Sukumaran on His Role in ‘Daayra’

LatestLY: What a trailer! Please tell us something more about your role in Daayra apart from what we have seen in the trailer.

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I play Raman Kumar, who is a police officer. But more than just being a police officer, I think Raman in a lot of ways represents one side of the argument in the discussion that Daayra the film delves into. Unlike what I assume people might think, the film is not about an incident. It is about what follows the incident and the perspectives on crime, punishment, justice and the deliverance of justice. Meghna (Gulzar) uses two characters to validate two different perspectives and to equally present them with the same weightage in front of the audience. And since this is a film that does not venture out to answer these questions for you or to pass a judgement on either one of these arguments, it is very important that these characters remain balanced on either side of the equation. It's a film that makes the audience think and decide for themselves. So yeah, rather than delve into more of who or what Raman is about, I would just like to say that Raman represents one side of the argument and everything about that character is designed to validate that side of the argument.

‘Daayra’ Trailer – Watch Video:

LatestLY: The film is not based on a single incident or crime. It's about what's happening in society currently, right?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: It's a broader view on a very disturbing facet of the society we live in today. I wish we could say it was just about one incident, but what the conversation the film hopes to invoke is about something much larger than one incident or one eventuality.

LatestLY: It's a sensitive topic. So, apart from the research, did Kareena Kapoor Khan, you, and the supporting actors, go through any kind of sensitisation workshop?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: It is a sensitive topic, but the unfortunate truth of the matter is it isn't the topic that is unfamiliar to any adult in society today. And you are right. Subject matters like these need to be treated with the utmost sensitivity and dignity. In that regard, we are very confident that Meghna had complete control over the narrative. We knew she would treat it with the respect it deserved. I am very sure, whatever you may or may not say of the film, you will definitely say that's being treated with a lot of sensitivity.

Prithviraj Sukumaran on Working With Kareena Kapoor Khan in 'Daayra'

LatestLY: Please tell us about your experience working with Kareena Kapoor Khan in Daayra.

Prithviraj Sukumaran: It was great. She is a fantastic actor. I am glad that someone like Kareena said yes to this film, because both these characters are propped against each other. So, for Raman's side of the argument to find validation, to find weightage, Ajooni’s (Kareena's character) side of the argument should have equal weightage and validation. And for that to come across, it is imperative that a very skilled actor portrays and handles Ajooni. Kareena's done a fabulous job.

Prithviraj Sukumaran on Telling Children About Their Safety

LatestLY: Meghna is known for handling her subjects with sensitivity. As regards the topic of the film, you said how it's about time for you to speak to your daughter about certain things that happen in society. About that, do you want to say something as a parent?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: My daughter is 11. And we have already started having conversations with her about what is safe and what is unsafe. We have to come to terms with the fact that we live in times where children need to be made aware of these things. Regardless of however uncomfortable such a conversation might be as a parent, it's your responsibility to face that to take that on and to speak to your children in a manner that they understand. And more than anything, it's very important as parents to instill confidence in children so that they can come back and talk to us. If there is something that they felt uncomfortable about, if there is something that they felt was not right, they should have the confidence to come back and tell their parents that ‘Mamma, Dadda, this is what happened today and I just didn't feel right when this happened’. And if you have managed to instill that confidence of children being able to come back home and talk to you, then a large part of this endeavour is already successful.

"It's very important as parents to instill confidence in children so that they can come back and talk to us, if there is something that they felt uncomfortable about." 

Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kareena Kapoor Khan on 'Daayra' Poster

 

 

 

 

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LatestLY: About you also being an acclaimed director and a top-class actor of India. How do you balance these two things? On this particular set or any set that you are just an actor, do you feel like you should as a director give some suggestions to whoever your director is? Or do you just take a step back and say, ‘I am an actor here’?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: It's the latter, actually. I am very comfortable and content in switching off the filmmaker in me, when I am in a film as an actor. Unless of course there is an instance where a filmmaker reaches out to you to ask, ‘Do you think there is something we can do about this’ or there's a question in that fashion. I am I really enjoy switching off the filmmaker in me and completely surrendering to someone else's vision as an actor. So, these days, when I am on set as an actor, I do not function as a filmmaker at all.

LatestLY: Just enjoying the process…

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I do, I really do, yeah. ‘Daayra’: 5 Things That Make Meghna Gulzar’s Upcoming Film More Than Just a Crime Thriller.

Prithviraj Sukumaran on Bollywood versus South Debate

LatestLY: About acting in Bollywood – do you believe in the Bollywood versus South or the North-South divide, or is it like one India or pan-India?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: What do you mean by the question?

LatestLY: There has been a lot of debate about Bollywood versus South or North Indian films versus South Indian films, when for a few years, the Bollywood box office was not up to the mark. Do you believe in that kind of thing that people have in their minds, especially on social media?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I don't. There have been so many instances when southern cinema has looked up to Bollywood and thought, ‘Oh, how are these guys doing it?’, ‘How are these films turning out these kinds of numbers at the box office?’ Yeah, I mean it's great that now cinema from the South has found an audience across the country and across the world. But I do think this is just part of a larger process in in motion and that process all was always inevitable. We were anyway with access to all kinds of media; people would have started seeing cinema from all across the country in the world. We were anyway headed towards a more amalgamated cinema industry and I think it's great. It's great that today you have a Daayra where a Meghna Gulzar is making a film with Kareena Kapoor Khan and myself. I am currently shooting for Varanasi where there is a Telugu superstar (Mahesh Babu) and a Malayalam actor (himself), and Priyanka Chopra – who is now very much part of Hindi cinema and the Western cinema –collaborating together. So, I think we are all headed towards that. I know a cinema beyond linguistic and regional boundaries and that's a great place to be in. I hope this journey continues.

Prithviraj Sukumaran in 'Daayra'

LatestLY: We hope so, too. Would you like to I mean say something about Varanasi right now?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I'm sure we'll speak when Varanasi releases. If I start talking about it now, I'll run out of things to say (when it releases).

LatestLY: You've played various kinds of roles in the South or Malayalam cinema, and Bollywood. Is there something, which you still feel you haven't done? Or you want to play a certain kind of character or have a kind of story/plot in your upcoming films?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I am child-like as an actor. The next film I do, I will do it with the complete belief that this is very new to me and that I have never done this before. But I understand where you are coming from, and if you have done as much work as I have. It's impossible for you to think that every film I do will have no resemblance to anything I have done until now. And I also don't think that should be my priority because, if I start searching for cinema with that in my mind, I might just shut my eyes to some very interesting material. Ultimately, what I do in a film or what my character is in a film is secondary. Primarily, I need to be attracted to what the film is about and what the intent behind the film is. It could be something that is just designed for you to go to the theatres with a bag of popcorn, have fun and walk away after having two hours of fun. Or it could be something that is designed to make you think, to make you introspective – like Daayra. And I equally enjoy both. I enjoy watching both. I enjoy being part of both. I enjoy making both.  Is India Losing Faith in the Justice System? 5 Unflinching Moments From National Award-Winning Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar’s Intriguing ‘Daayra’ Trailer.

And all that I can hope for is that I continue, such versatile cinema continues coming to me and I hope filmmakers see very different characters in me. I am not going to be sitting here thinking okay, the next film I do should have absolutely nothing to do with anything I have done before. To me that's the wrong priority to have.

Prithviraj Sukumaran on Audience Response to 'Toxic'

LatestLY: Continuing with that thought, is it that the audience expects something of some actor, and if that's not fulfilled – for example, some people were disappointed what they expected of the film Toxic. So, if something like that happens, then how to do you take it as an actor?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: No actor or filmmaker can control expectations. Once you start thinking what the audience wants, then more often than not, you go wrong. So, you really can't be thinking ahead of yourself. The only way you can go about it is to actually keep it very simple. You do cinema that you like and that you resonate with and you think is interesting, and the fact of the matter is that that process will have you go wrong and will have you go right. There really is no foolproof equation to it. If there was such an equation, no actor would ever be in a film that does not work.

But just because one particular film has not worked the way you expected it to, I don't think it should be the reason for you to now think, ‘Okay, I need to completely change my process’. Because, the process is basically the same. You listen to a script. You ask yourself, ‘Do you like it?’, or you look at the team behind it and ask, ‘Do you trust their vision?’ And then you say yes or no based on that. There really isn't any other way for you to go about choosing the films you do.

Prithviraj Sukumaran Wishes to Work With Amitabh Bachchan

LatestLY: Going forward, is there anyone in particular you wish to work with – any actor or actress, whether it's Bollywood or South India or even Hollywood, anybody whom you admire?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I would like to work with everyone. I am very unapologetic, passionate Amitabh Bachchan fan. I hope maybe someday I get a chance to work with Bachchan sir.

LatestLY: About your directorial projects…anything coming? Is it going to be something with Mohanlal, whom you directed in Lucifer and L2: Empuraan? Give us a hint, if you have written something.

Prithviraj Sukumaran: Yeah, I am thinking of what I want to do next. When the time is right, I will let the world know for sure. You will know. The hint is that I have started thinking about it. Thinking also involves writing.

Prithviraj Sukumaran in 'Daayra'

LatestLY: So, we are understanding your process as a director. As an actor, how is your process? Is it method acting or is it spontaneous?

Prithviraj Sukumaran: I don't know these different types of acting, because I'm not a trained actor. I really don't know what these different schools of acting entail. For me, I need to understand what is written on paper, and the vision behind it. Talking in the context of Daayra, Meghna gives me a script. I read it, and then I talk to Meghna to understand how she is seeing this text. I need to have clarity on both these fronts and then subconsciously it's easy for me to build a character. The process of building that character, where the actor’s interpretation has its own space to exist and drive is also collaborative. Because, even then you have to have this collaborative process with the director, and if there is another writer involved, with the writer. Filmmaking is a team sport. The more clarity an actor gets the better you are (onscreen), is what I believe and like. Every actor is limited or delimited by the written text and the person conceiving the written text.

In that regard, Daayra has been a great experience for me, because it's written with such clarity. Meghna has so much coherence about how she wants to go about conceiving the text that as an actor, my job was quite easy.

‘Daayra’ Release Date

Produced by Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios and directed by Meghna Gulzar, Daayra releases in theatres on September 18, 2026.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2026 12:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).