Meghna Gulzar has built a distinctive place for herself in contemporary Hindi cinema by turning extraordinary real-life stories into deeply human dramas. Her films may explore espionage, crime, war, survival or military history, but beneath those different subjects lies a remarkably consistent approach: empathy, restraint and an interest in the people behind the headlines.
From Talvar and Raazi to Chhapaak and Sam Bahadur, Gulzar has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to make large events feel intimate. Her next film, Daayra, continues that tradition, bringing crime, policing and questions of justice to the big screen.
Starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, Daayra is inspired by true events and is produced by Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios. The film is scheduled to release in cinemas on September 18, 2026.
Ahead of its release, here is a closer look at the filmmaking qualities that have made Meghna Gulzar’s cinema instantly recognisable.
Finding the Human Story Behind the Headline
Real events often provide the starting point for Meghna Gulzar’s films, but they are rarely the destination.
Talvar took inspiration from one of India’s most widely discussed criminal cases and used it to explore the uncertainty surrounding competing versions of the truth. Rather than simply reconstructing the case, the film focused on the complexities of investigation, evidence and human perception.
With Raazi, Gulzar adapted an extraordinary espionage story into an intensely personal drama. Sehmat’s mission is significant on a national scale, but the film’s emotional power comes from her relationships, particularly the sacrifices demanded of her by the role she has accepted.
Similarly, Chhapaak moved beyond the crime itself to focus on the life of an acid-attack survivor rebuilding her identity, while Sam Bahadur looked beyond military achievements to explore the personality, leadership and wit of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
That ability to locate an emotional core within a much larger event is one of Gulzar’s defining strengths.
Daayra appears to follow the same path. While a horrific crime forms part of the film’s premise, the story expands into questions surrounding policing, justice, public pressure and the choices made when emotions are running high.
Difficult Subjects Without Sensationalism
Crime, war, patriotism, punishment and justice all offer opportunities for dramatic excess. Gulzar’s films, however, often derive their impact from what they choose not to exaggerate.
In Talvar, the absence of certainty becomes the source of tension. In Raazi, the emotional consequences of Sehmat’s decisions matter as much as the espionage itself. Chhapaak refuses to reduce its protagonist to the violence inflicted upon her, instead placing her recovery and identity at the centre of the narrative.
That restrained approach allows uncomfortable subjects to remain uncomfortable without turning them into spectacle.
Daayra appears to extend this sensibility into the world of policing and criminal justice. Kareena Kapoor Khan plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, while Prithviraj Sukumaran portrays DCP Raman Kumar. Their contrasting approaches to justice place the film within a larger debate about police action, procedure and the difficult balance between public outrage and due process.
Rather than offering a straightforward answer, Gulzar’s storytelling often leaves room for the audience to wrestle with the questions themselves.
When Music Becomes Part of the Story
Music has always had an important emotional role in Meghna Gulzar’s films, with lyrics by her father, Gulzar, often adding another layer to the storytelling.
Dilbaro from Raazi is perhaps the clearest example. The song captures Sehmat’s emotional relationship with her family and the pain associated with leaving home. It does not merely accompany the narrative; it deepens the audience’s understanding of what Sehmat is giving up.
The music of Chhapaak similarly complemented the film’s themes of resilience, identity and moving forward after trauma.
This is a recurring feature of Gulzar’s cinema: songs frequently function as emotional storytelling devices rather than obligatory interruptions to the plot. They reveal relationships, underline internal conflicts and leave audiences with an emotional impression that can remain long after the credits.
Making Stars Disappear Into Characters
Meghna Gulzar’s casting also plays a crucial role in her filmmaking.
Raazi required Alia Bhatt to move away from the familiar image of a Bollywood star and inhabit Sehmat, a young woman placed in an extraordinary and dangerous situation. The performance became central to the film’s emotional impact.
In Chhapaak, Deepika Padukone’s transformation into Malti placed the character’s vulnerability, anger and resilience ahead of conventional glamour.
Vicky Kaushal’s performance in Sam Bahadur similarly focused on capturing the personality of Sam Manekshaw rather than simply reproducing the public image of a celebrated military commander.
With Daayra, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran enter another unfamiliar space for audiences: senior police officers whose professional philosophies and ideas about justice put them on contrasting paths.
That is perhaps the essence of the Meghna Gulzar effect. The star may draw the audience into the theatre, but the character is expected to take over once the story begins.
Cinema That Leaves a Question Behind
A Meghna Gulzar film often does more than recount an event. It encourages audiences to reconsider what they think they know about it.
Talvar raises questions about how confidently people can claim to know the truth when evidence and interpretations conflict. Raazi makes patriotism personal by placing sacrifice at the heart of an individual’s journey. Chhapaak redirects attention from the crime itself to the long process of rebuilding a life. Sam Bahadur examines leadership and courage through the personality of the man behind the military legend.
Daayra appears poised to continue that tradition.
Its central conflict raises an uncomfortable question: when a horrific crime generates intense public anger, should justice be driven by immediacy, or must it remain bound by the procedures of law?
The film may not provide a simple answer. That ambiguity, however, could be precisely what makes the subject worth exploring.
Why Meghna Gulzar Feels Like a Genre of Her Own
It is difficult to place Meghna Gulzar within a single conventional cinematic category.
Her filmography moves across crime drama, espionage, biographical cinema and stories of survival. Yet the underlying sensibility remains remarkably consistent. Her films are character-driven, emotionally grounded and frequently inspired by events larger than the individuals at their centre.
With Daayra, Gulzar is once again exploring a difficult subject through the people who must confront it. Produced by Junglee Pictures and Pen Studios and distributed by Pen Marudhar, the film brings together Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in a story centred on crime, policing and justice.
That may ultimately be the simplest way to understand Meghna Gulzar’s cinematic identity: she does not necessarily belong to one genre. Instead, she brings her own storytelling language to every genre she enters.
And that is why, across films as different as Raazi, Talvar, Chhapaak, Sam Bahadur and now Daayra, Meghna Gulzar has increasingly become a cinematic genre in herself.
Daayra is scheduled to release in cinemas on September 18, 2026.
