Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s upcoming film Daayra has been surrounded by speculation ever since reports linked its story to the 2019 Hyderabad rape and murder case. However, director Meghna Gulzar has now clarified that the film does not draw its narrative from a single real life incident. Speaking at the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai, Gulzar explained that the subjects explored in Daayra are not limited to one particular state, city or case. According to the filmmaker, restricting the story to one incident would have resulted in a narrower perspective. Instead, the team studied multiple cases while developing the screenplay and attempted to identify a common thread running through them.

These different real life incidents helped shape the film’s broader narrative and the issues it seeks to examine. The clarification comes after earlier reports had described Daayra as being inspired by the 2019 Hyderabad case involving a young veterinary doctor. The case had triggered widespread outrage across the country and led to intense public debate following the deaths of the four accused in a police encounter. While the Hyderabad incident may have contributed to the wider conversation surrounding the film, Gulzar’s latest comments make it clear that Daayra should not be viewed as a direct retelling of that case. The filmmaker is known for taking on socially relevant and sensitive subjects in films such as Talvar and Chhapaak.

With Daayra, she appears to be taking a broader approach, using multiple real world incidents as a foundation to examine complex questions surrounding crime, justice and society. The film brings together Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead roles, marking an interesting new pairing in Hindi cinema. With Gulzar at the helm, the project has already generated considerable curiosity among audiences. As the film moves closer to release, the director’s clarification adds an important layer to its narrative, Daayra is not intended to tell the story of one specific case, but rather explore a recurring reality through a story shaped by several incidents