DAAYRA Movie Review: Strong Performances and Intriguing Premise Undermined by Second Half and Climax

DAAYRA stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, with direction by Meghna Gulzar. The story centers on two cops with contrasting styles of working after a young girl named Ragini (Pragati Mishra) disappears from a highway, and her burnt body is subsequently found. Her mother, Parvati (Kshitee Jog), and brother, Kabir (Bhavesh Babbani), initially face indifference from local cops. DCP Raman Kumar (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is tasked with the case and arrests four men, who are later shot dead while allegedly trying to escape.

Amid public celebration and allegations of a staged encounter, DCP Ajooni Kohli (Kareena Kapoor Khan) of the Internal Vigilance Unit heads an SIT to find out the truth in Suryapur. The story, screenplay, and dialogues are credited to Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal, and Meghna Gulzar. The narrative is inspired by a real-life incident and other similar episodes.

Meghna Gulzar's direction approaches the subject similarly to her 2015 film TALVAR. While the first half features captivating dramatic moments, memorable scenes, and smart intercuts, the post-interval portions become stretched and confusing regarding timeline. The film's biggest issue is its abrupt ending with no traditional climax or confrontation between the two leads.

Kareena Kapoor Khan delivers a subtle and effective performance as a non-depressed, non-alcoholic female cop, while Prithviraj Sukumaran gives a terrific performance with superb dialogue delivery and expression. The cast also features Kshitee Jog, Bhavesh Babbani, Biswapati Sarkar as Commissioner Prakash Anand, Jitendra Joshi, Brij Bhushan Shukla, Upendra Chauhan, Ipshita Singh, Trupti Khamkar, Sandesh Kulkarni, Saksham Dayma, Manoj Sharma, Ram Diwakar, Ashutosh Kumar Gupta, Abdul Mani, Aditya Kumar, Achint Kaur, and Kanwaljit Singh.

In technical aspects, Amit Trivedi composed the lone title track, which is described as forgettable, while Ketan Sodha provides an impactful background score. Saurabh Goswami handles cinematography, Parvez Shaikh provides minimal action, Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray manage production design, Karishma Sharma handles costumes, and editing is by Charu Shree Roy and Meghna Gulzar.

Overall, DAAYRA rests on an intriguing premise and strong performances, but a stretched second half and the absence of a satisfying climax dilute its overall impact.