Daayra Opens to Rs 1.15 Crore as Kareena, Prithviraj Play Cops

Meghna Gulzar's crime thriller Daayra, headlined by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, arrived in cinemas on Friday to largely favourable responses from critics and audiences alike. The film's first-day earnings in India stood at Rs 1.15 crore nett, a modest figure for a release of its scale.

The movie casts its two leads as police officers who find themselves on opposing sides while negotiating the murky terrain of juvenile crime. According to the makers, the story draws inspiration from real events.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh noted that the film's limited footprint — roughly 700 screens — along with the absence of promotional ticket offers, shaped its opening numbers. He observed that business gathered some momentum from the evening shows onward, and pointed to a buy-one-get-one ticket offer planned for Saturday and Sunday as a possible boost to footfalls over the weekend.

Speaking at a press meet in Delhi, Kareena reflected on the moral tightrope her character walks. She invoked a line from a song written by Gulzar — that the circle of truth keeps shifting — to describe the film's central dilemma, admitting it was hard to remain anchored to Ajooni's perspective given the persistent conflict at the story's core. She added that while she personally leans toward seeing life in clear terms, the film inhabits a grey zone.

Her portrayal of Ajooni, an officer whose sense of justice rests on law and procedure, deliberately sidesteps the familiar screen image of the female cop. Kareena described the character as feminine, composed and firm, rather than the gun-toting, action-driven figure audiences are used to seeing.