DAAYRA falters in its second half and climax

Daayra Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Daayra Movie Review Synopsis:
DAAYRA is the story of two cops with contrasting styles of working. A young girl, Ragini (Pragati Mishra), disappears from a highway. Her mother, Parvati (Kshitee Jog), and brother Kabir (Bhavesh Babbani) approach the cops, but they don’t take her case seriously. The next day, her burnt body is found on a deserted stretch. The case dominates headlines in the media, adding pressure on the Teerthana police. DCP Raman Kumar (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is given the charge of nabbing the culprits. Within a few days, he and his team arrest four men. Before they can be produced in court, they are shot dead. DCP Raman and his team claim that they tried to escape and even fired at the cops. When the police returned fire, the accused lost their lives. While the country celebrates their deaths, a section of society alleges that it was a staged encounter. The pressure from the Human Rights Department is immense and hence, DCP Ajooni Kohli (Kareena Kapoor Khan) of the Internal Vigilance Unit is asked to head an SIT and find out the truth. As a result, she heads to Suryapur, the scene of the crime. Ajooni has a no-nonsense and zero-prejudice approach to her work and is determined to find out what exactly happened and whether DCP Raman and his team are guilty. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Daayra Movie Story Review:
Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal and Meghna Gulzar’s story is inspired by a particular real-life incident, while the makers have also drawn from other similar episodes to spin a largely interesting tale. Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal and Meghna Gulzar’s screenplay is captivating and peppered with some memorable dramatic moments. However, it gets confusing in a few places and loses steam completely in the climax. Yash Keswani, Sima Agarwal and Meghna Gulzar’s dialogues add to the drama, though a few more hard-hitting and sharp lines could have elevated the impact.

Meghna Gulzar’s direction is decent. The filmmaker goes back to her TALVAR [2015] zone with this one and approaches the subject in a similar manner. She doesn’t waste any time and comes straight to the point from the very first scene. The intercuts between the conversations of the two teams are smartly done, and viewers are gradually acquainted with what exactly happened. Meghna also attempts to shatter preconceived notions in the second half. Viewers expect the film to go a certain way, especially with the track involving the accused, but it takes an unexpected turn. A few scenes are memorable, like Ajooni recreating the scene of the crime and finding discrepancies, Parvati being made to wait at the police station and the press conference after the encounter. The intermission point is also memorable.

On the flipside, the film gets a bit stretched in the post-interval portions. In a few places, viewers may briefly get confused as it becomes difficult to ascertain whether the narrative is in flashback mode or unfolding in the present day. The circumstances under which Ragini is fooled are also difficult to digest, especially since a truck is involved. But the biggest issue with the film is that there’s no climax as such. The film ends rather abruptly. One expects fireworks and a confrontation between the two leads, but nothing of that sort happens. Viewers may be stunned when the end credits suddenly start rolling, as the film does not provide the kind of dramatic payoff one expects. This impacts the film heavily.

Daayra Movie Review Performances:
Kareena Kapoor Khan keeps her act subtle and yet, delivers an effective performance. Unlike other female cop characters in recent past, she’s not depressed or alcoholic and hence, it makes for a novel watch. Prithviraj Sukumaran is terrific. His dialogue delivery is superb, but watch out for how he communicates merely through his eyes. Kshitee Jog shines, especially in the first half. Bhavesh Babbani, too, puts his best foot forward. Biswapati Sarkar (Commissioner Prakash Anand) does well, but his comic image is so strong that it becomes difficult to imagine him as a Commissioner and Prithviraj’s boss. Jitendra Joshi (Inspector Karad), as always, is dependable. Brij Bhushan Shukla (Inspector Bala; who refuses to file an FIR) leaves a huge mark. Upendra Chauhan (Vishal Mishra; team Ajooni), Ipshita Singh (Aarti; team Ajooni) and the actor playing Gopal lend able support. Trupti Khamkar (SI Jyoti; team DCP) is memorable in the chase sequence. Sandesh Kulkarni (Head constable Vasu; team DCP), Saksham Dayma (Inspector Daya; team DCP), Manoj Sharma (Constable Prasad Nayar and driver; team DCP), Ram Diwakar (Raju), Ashutosh Kumar Gupta (Bablu), Abdul Mani (Mani) and Aditya Kumar (Mastan) are fair. Achint Kaur (Gomti Pujari) and Kanwaljit Singh (Judge Kohli) are impressive in the cameo appearances.

Daayra movie music and other technical aspects:
The lone song (by Amit Trivedi) – the title track – is forgettable. However, Ketan Sodha’s background score is very impactful and enhances the impact in several scenes.

Saurabh Goswami’s cinematography is praiseworthy, especially the use of close shots.Parvez Shaikh’s action is minimal and not gory or violent. Subrata Chakraborty, Amit Ray’s production design and Karishma Sharma’s costumes are straight out of life. Charu Shree Roy and Meghna Gulzar’s editing is smart, especially the intercuts. But it could have been sharper post-interval.

Daayra Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, DAAYRA rests on an intriguing premise and strong performances by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. However, the stretched second half and, more importantly, the absence of a satisfying climax heavily dilute the overall impact. At the box office, the buzz around the film is limited and it will need strong word of mouth from the multiplex audience to make a mark.