Daayra (2026): Box Office, Cast & OTT Status

Inspired by a true event, Daayra follows an ACP who becomes a national hero after a police encounter that follows the rape and murder of a young woman. The case then raises uncomfortable questions about justice and the rule of law.

Release date and status

Daayra released on 18 September 2026. Release markets: India (theatrical), worldwide. Language: Hindi.

OTT release

No streaming platform or date had been announced as of 25 September 2026.

Cast and crew

• Director: Meghna Gulzar
• Writer: Meghna Gulzar, Sima Agarwal, Yash Keswani
• Music: Amit Trivedi, Ketan Sodha
• Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Prithviraj Sukumaran

Production history

Junglee Pictures approached Meghna Gulzar with the subject during the 2020 lockdown, when she had already committed to Sam Bahadur (2023). She described Daayra as an exploration of the grey areas of justice. Several outlets linked it to the 2019 Hyderabad case, but Gulzar said the team drew on several cases rather than one. Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran were announced in April 2025, after Ayushmann Khurrana and then Sidharth Malhotra left the male lead because of scheduling conflicts. Filming ran from 25 September to 26 December 2025, with cinematographer Saurabh Goswami; Gulzar co-edited with Charu Shree Roy. Vineet Jain and Dhaval Jain produced for Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios.

Trailer and music

The trailer came out on 31 August 2026, followed by a promotional trailer on 15 September. Gulzar originally said the film would have no songs because they would disrupt the narrative, but "Sach Ka Daayra", written by Gulzar (the lyricist), composed by Amit Trivedi and sung by B Praak, was released on 11 September 2026. Ketan Sodha composed the background score.

Release and certification

The CBFC granted an 'A' certificate with no visual cuts; violent scenes were left untouched and only a small dialogue change was made. The runtime is 143 minutes. Special screenings were held in Mumbai and Delhi on 17 September 2026, and former Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai attended the Mumbai premiere. The film opened on 18 September in Hindi and Malayalam, with Parvathy Thiruvothu dubbing Kapoor's role in Malayalam, and clashed with Vibe.

Box office

Daayra opened with ₹0.94 crore net in India and earned ₹3.74 crore net over its opening weekend. Wikipedia reports a worldwide gross of ₹8.06 crore (₹6.24 crore India and ₹1.82 crore overseas).

Critical reception

Reviews were positive; Rotten Tomatoes listed 78% of 18 critics' reviews as positive (average 6.6/10). Subhash K. Jha of The Tribune said it handles a complex moral issue carefully and mostly gets it right. Shweta Keshri of India Today (3/5) felt the promised cat-and-mouse tension never fully arrives, and Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India wanted it to dig deeper into how extrajudicial action undermines the justice system.