Daayra sees filmmaker Meghna Gulzar return to morally complicated territory, examining questions of justice, punishment and the limits of the law. The film draws from the circumstances surrounding the Hyderabad case involving four men accused in the rape and murder of a young woman.

The story focuses on the aftermath of a crime that takes an unexpected turn when the accused men are killed during what was reportedly intended to be a recreation of the crime scene. The development raises the central question of the film: who has the authority to decide the punishment for an alleged crime?

Meghna Gulzar has previously explored difficult moral questions in films such as Talvar, and Daayra attempts to push that discomfort further. Rather than offering easy answers, the film places its characters in situations where justice, legality and personal morality collide.

Prithviraj emerges as one of the film’s strongest performers, delivering a restrained and controlled performance that suits the contained nature of the story.

Kareena Kapoor, however, appears less consistently defined by the film. At different moments, Daayra seems caught between presenting her as a major star and allowing her character to exist independently within the narrative.

The result is a crime drama with an intriguing moral premise, even as its treatment of some of its central characters remains uneven.