Daayra arrives on Netflix on November 13, 2026, close to two months after it played in Indian cinemas. It is a Hindi police thriller directed by Meghna Gulzar, and it sets Kareena Kapoor Khan against Prithviraj Sukumaran in a fight over what really happened in a controversial encounter.
The Daayra Netflix trailer, released by Netflix India on November 12, frames the story as a duel between two senior officers: one who goes by the book, and one who is accused of burying the truth. Netflix’s own tagline sums it up as protocol versus punishment.
Below you will find the OTT release date, the cast, the story setup, an age rating and parents guide, and our verdict on whether Daayra is worth your evening. If you like tense, talky crime dramas, our look at Unaccustomed Earth may also interest you.
At a glance
- Release date: November 13, 2026
- Runtime: Not yet confirmed
- Age rating: TV-MA (US, per Netflix); Indian rating not confirmed
- Where to watch: Netflix
- Verdict: Worth a try
Table of Contents
Official Trailer Breakdown
The trailer opens on a case that has gone nowhere for two years: a missing girl, and a later police encounter that raised more questions than it answered. From there it becomes a contest of wills between two deputy commissioners who do not trust each other’s account.
Kareena Kapoor Khan’s officer insists on procedure and wants answers on the record. Prithviraj Sukumaran’s officer says he did what had to be done. The cutting is quick, the colours are muted, and the dialogue does most of the work, which suggests a film built on argument more than on action.
- A two-year-old missing-girl case that never closed
- A police encounter that puts DCP Raman Kumar under scrutiny
- DCP Ajooni Kohli accusing him of staging fake encounters
- Kumar defending his choices as necessary
- Netflix’s tagline: protocol versus punishment
Daayra Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Daayra |
| Type | Film |
| Platform | Netflix |
| Release Date | November 13, 2026 |
| Creator / Director | Meghna Gulzar |
| Writers | Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal, Meghna Gulzar |
| Episodes / Runtime | Not yet confirmed |
| Genres | Thriller, drama, social issue drama |
| Language / Country | Hindi / India |
| Maturity Rating | TV-MA (US, per Netflix’s title page) |
| Content Advisory | Not yet published |
Story of Daayra
Daayra is described as inspired by true events. Its starting point is a case that stalled: a girl went missing, nobody was held to account, and two years later a police encounter brought the whole matter back into public view.
That encounter puts DCP Raman Kumar in the spotlight. A colleague, DCP Ajooni Kohli, believes the encounters he has led were staged to cover up what happened. Kumar does not deny what he did, but he argues that the circumstances left him no better option.
Netflix’s page offers a slightly different framing, describing four suspects who die in custody and an investigator who must decide whether the operation was lawful or a cover-up. Either way, the moral question sits inside the police force itself rather than outside it.
DCP Ajooni Kohli
Kohli is the strict rule-follower. The trailer positions her as the character who appears to be in the right, and the film’s tension comes from how far she will push against her own colleagues.
DCP Raman Kumar
Kumar is the forceful officer with secrets. He is not written as an obvious villain, which makes the debate more interesting than a simple good-versus-bad contest.
Meet the Cast
- Kareena Kapoor Khan as DCP Ajooni Kohli
- Prithviraj Sukumaran as DCP Raman Kumar
- Jitendra Joshi
- Kshitee Jog
- Biswapati Sarkar
This is the first time Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran share the screen. Sukumaran is best known from Malayalam cinema, so Daayra is also a notable Hindi-language outing for him.
Behind the Camera
Meghna Gulzar directs and shares the writing credit with Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal. Gulzar has a record of grounded, character-led dramas, and she has returned several times to stories built on real events. Daayra continues that interest in how institutions and individuals collide.
Themes Explored
Procedure versus results
The central argument is whether doing the right thing the right way matters more than getting an outcome.
Accountability inside the police
The conflict is internal. Officers question officers, which raises the issue of who polices the police.
Justice for the missing
Underneath the duel is a family still waiting for answers about a girl who vanished.
Daayra Age Rating & Parents Guide
Netflix’s title page lists Daayra as TV-MA in the US, which means it is meant for adults. An Indian rating has not been confirmed on the sources we checked, so treat the content levels below as estimates drawn from the trailer and the subject matter.
| Content | Level | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Violence | Moderate | Police encounters and deaths in custody are central to the plot; the trailer shows tension more than gore. |
| Language | Moderate | Heated confrontations between officers; no detail published yet. |
| Sex & nudity | None | Nothing in the trailer suggests any. Not yet known for the full film. |
| Drugs & alcohol | None | None shown in the trailer. Not yet known for the full film. |
| Frightening scenes | Moderate | A missing-child case and a grim, tense tone. |
Is Daayra OK for kids?
| Age | Suitable? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | No | Dark subject matter and a TV-MA label. |
| 10–12 | No | Themes of custodial deaths and a missing child. |
| 13–15 | With a parent | Possible for mature teens, but it is a heavy, dialogue-driven film. |
| 16–17 | With a parent | Fine for most older teens who like crime dramas. |
| Adults | Yes | Made for an adult audience. |
Suitable for ages 16+ (with a parent for younger teens).
Daayra OTT Release Date & Where to Watch
Daayra streams on Netflix from November 13, 2026. Reports say the film opened in Indian cinemas on September 18, 2026, which gives a gap of roughly eight weeks between theatres and streaming. One report said it struggled at the box office, though we could not confirm figures.
Netflix has not told us the exact release time or the list of dubbed languages at the time of writing. The original language is Hindi.
Should You Watch It? Our Verdict
Verdict: Worth a try. A strong pairing and a serious director make this one of the more interesting Hindi thrillers on Netflix this month.
This verdict is based on the trailer, the makers’ earlier work and early reports, not on a viewing. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran are well matched on paper, and Meghna Gulzar tends to favour measured storytelling over spectacle.
The risk is pace. A slow-burn, argument-led film can feel static if you want chases and twists, and a weak box-office run suggests it did not connect with everyone in cinemas.
Watch it if you like:
- police procedurals that question the police
- moral-grey crime dramas
- actor-driven face-offs
Skip it if:
- you want a fast action thriller
- stories about custodial violence are hard for you to watch
Final Thoughts
Daayra is a talk-heavy police thriller with two strong leads and a director who likes difficult questions. If that sounds like your kind of Friday, it is an easy pick when it lands on Netflix on November 13.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Daayra coming to Netflix?
Daayra starts streaming on Netflix on November 13, 2026. The film was reported to have opened in Indian cinemas on September 18, 2026, before moving to streaming.
Who is in the cast of Daayra?
Kareena Kapoor Khan plays DCP Ajooni Kohli and Prithviraj Sukumaran plays DCP Raman Kumar. Jitendra Joshi, Kshitee Jog and Biswapati Sarkar are also part of the cast. Meghna Gulzar directs.
Is Daayra suitable for kids?
No, Daayra is not meant for children. Netflix lists it as TV-MA in the US, and the story deals with custodial deaths and a missing girl. Mature teens may watch with a parent.
Is Daayra based on a true story?
Daayra is described as inspired by true events. The characters and the case are fictionalised, and the makers have not tied it to one named incident in the material we reviewed.
Who directed Daayra?
Meghna Gulzar directed Daayra and co-wrote it with Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal. The film is a Hindi-language police thriller streaming on Netflix.
Sources: Netflix, varietyindia.com, newsbytesapp.com.
