Prithviraj Sukumaran is returning to the Bollywood big screen opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in Daayra, a crime thriller that brings together two of Indian cinema's biggest stars for the first time.
The Malayalam actor has enjoyed a particularly successful few years, appearing in some of his home industry's biggest films while also building an increasingly pan-Indian career.
Now, he is stepping back into a leading Hindi-language role alongside Kapoor Khan in Daayra, directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Meghna Gulzar.
Inspired by true events, the film follows two senior police officers who find themselves on opposing sides of an investigation that raises difficult questions about crime, punishment and what constitutes justice.
The trailer came out on Monday, ahead of the film's cinema release on September 18.
What is Daayra about?
The trailer for Daayra begins in the aftermath of a crime that sparks national outrage and sets two investigations in motion.
Kapoor Khan plays Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ajooni Kohli, while Sukumaran takes on the role of DCP Raman Kumar. Although both are senior police officers working within the same system, their differing approaches to the case gradually place them in opposition.
The trailer points to a story involving juvenile crime and a controversial police encounter, with Ajooni scrutinising the actions of Raman as questions emerge over what happened and whether justice was served.
Rather than presenting a straightforward battle between right and wrong, the film appears to examine the space between what is legally permissible and what the public might consider justice.
The film is inspired by true events, although its makers have not identified the specific case on which it is based.
It was written by Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal and Gulzar, whose previous films include Talvar, Raazi, Chhapaak and Sam Bahadur.
Gulzar has explored real events and morally complex subjects throughout much of her career. Talvar examined the 2008 Noida double murder case, while Raazi was an espionage drama set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Prithviraj Sukumaran's Bollywood return
Daayra marks another major Hindi-language role for Sukumaran, whose career has long crossed the boundaries between India's film industries.
The Malayalam star made his Bollywood debut opposite Rani Mukerji in the 2012 romantic comedy Aiyyaa. He followed it with Aurangzeb in 2013 and later appeared in Naam Shabana in 2017, although Hindi films remained relatively occasional additions to a career largely centred on Malayalam cinema.
That has begun to change in recent years. Sukumaran played a major role opposite Prabhas in the 2023 Telugu blockbuster Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, before returning to Bollywood as the antagonist opposite Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan in 2024. Last year, he starred alongside Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan in the Hindi-language drama Sarzameen.
His growing profile outside Malayalam cinema has coincided with a particularly successful period at home.
In 2024, he starred in Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life, director Blessy's survival drama based on Benyamin's novel of the same name. Sukumaran underwent a dramatic physical transformation to play Najeeb, an Indian migrant worker trapped in Saudi Arabia.
He followed it with the comedy Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil, another major commercial success and one of Malayalam cinema's biggest films of the year.
Then came L2: Empuraan in 2025, the sequel to Lucifer. Sukumaran both directed the Mohanlal-led film and reprised his role as Zayed Masood, with the film becoming a major international box-office success.
Most recently, he returned to Malayalam cinema with Khalifa: The Ruler, an action thriller released in August and partly filmed in the UAE. Directed by Vysakh, the film stars Sukumaran as Aamir Ali, a fashion entrepreneur drawn into a life of crime after his family is threatened.
Daayra now pairs him with one of Bollywood's most established stars, in his first film with Kapoor Khan.
For Sukumaran, the film's refusal to offer easy answers is central to its appeal.
“What drew me to DCP Raman Kumar was the complexity beneath his composed exterior and the questions he finds himself grappling with during the investigation,” he says.
“What I admire is how the film maintains that objectivity right till the very end, allowing the audience to form their own perspective.”
He also describes working with Gulzar as “a rewarding experience”, adding that working with Kapoor Khan “made the journey even more special”.
Kareena Kapoor Khan takes on DCP Ajooni Kohli
For Kapoor Khan, Daayra offers another dramatic role after a career that has increasingly alternated mainstream commercial projects with darker, character-driven films.
Her recent work has included Sujoy Ghosh's Netflix mystery Jaane Jaan, Hansal Mehta's crime thriller The Buckingham Murders and the ensemble blockbuster Crew.
In Daayra, she plays Ajooni, the officer whose investigation puts her on a collision course with Raman.
Kapoor Khan says the character pushed her into unfamiliar territory.
“What I loved about working with Meghna is that she makes you question everything you think you know about a character,” she says.
“There’s so much thought behind every detail, but she never takes away your instinct as an actor. Playing DCP Ajooni Kohli stayed with me … because she pushed me into a space I hadn’t really explored before, and at this stage in my career, that’s always exciting.”
She also praised her co-star, describing Sukumaran as “an incredibly intelligent actor”.
“He’s very present, very instinctive … and there was an ease to working together that I really enjoyed,” she says.
“This was one of those films where the people you’re surrounded by make the experience that much richer.”
The supporting cast includes Jitendra Joshi, Kshitee Jog, Kanwaljeet Singh, Sandeep Kulkarni and Trupti Khamkar.
Daayra will be released in cinemas on September 18
