Meghna Gulzar's upcoming crime drama Daayra has been cleared for theatrical release with a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification, and the film's final runtime has been locked at 143 minutes - roughly two hours and twenty-three minutes. The certification and runtime details arrive just two days ahead of the film's September 18, 2026 theatrical debut, ending speculation about whether the Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer would land an adults-only rating.
The U/A classification means Daayra is not an adult film in the strict certification sense. The rating permits viewing by audiences of all ages, though with parental guidance advised for children under twelve. That distinction matters for a film whose premise revolves around staged encounters and police brutality - themes that in recent Hindi cinema have sometimes pushed commercial releases toward an A certificate. Meghna Gulzar, whose filmography has consistently walked the line between hard-edged subject matter and mainstream accessibility, has apparently landed on the gentler side of that divide this time.
A Procedural Built on Two Opposing Officers
Daayra centers on Raman, a police officer whose career carries the baggage of a shady record involving staged encounters and police brutality. Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Raman, stepping into a role that marks one of his more prominent Hindi-language outings after years of straddling Malayalam and Bollywood projects. Opposite him, Kareena Kapoor Khan plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, the officer who corners Raman at every turn and challenges him on each step of the investigation. The film's official synopsis frames the narrative as a clash of wills between the two, with Ajooni's relentless scrutiny forcing Raman into an increasingly tight corner.
The pairing is notable for both performers. Kapoor Khan has gravitated toward roles with a harder professional edge in recent years, and a serving DCP in a Meghna Gulzar procedural fits that trajectory. For Prithviraj, who has built a reputation for playing morally complicated men across industries, Raman offers another variation on that theme - a cop whose authority is undercut by his own compromised past.
The supporting ensemble includes Kshitee Jog, Jitendra Joshi, Biswapati Sarkar and Sandesh Kulkarni, a mix of theatre-trained performers and actors known for grounded, naturalistic work in Hindi and Marathi cinema. That casting suggests Gulzar is aiming for the same textured, ensemble-driven storytelling that has defined her previous directorial efforts.
What the Runtime Tells Us
At 143 minutes, Daayra sits comfortably within the standard range for an Hindi crime drama, though it is longer than the average commercial thriller. The runtime is long enough to accommodate both the procedural mechanics of an investigation and the character work that a two-hander like this demands. It is not, however, an indulgent length - the film avoids the three-hour mark that some big-ticket Hindi releases still embrace.
For exhibitors, a 143-minute U/A film with two recognizable leads is an easy programming proposition: it allows for a full slate of shows across the opening weekend without the scheduling constraints that an A-rated or unusually long film can create. The certification also means the film can be marketed across television and digital platforms without the restrictions that accompany adult ratings.
Where It Lands in the Release Calendar
Daayra arrives in cinemas on September 18, 2026, a Friday slot that gives it a clear runway before the next major Hindi release cycle. The film's genre positioning - crime and drama, in Hindi, from a director with a strong critical track record - suggests it is targeting an adult-skewing urban audience rather than the family segment that a U certificate might have courted slightly more aggressively.
The TMDb rating currently sits at 0/10, reflecting the fact that no audience votes have been recorded yet for the unreleased title. That figure will reset the moment the film opens and viewers begin logging their responses.
What remains unanswered for now is the tonal question the U/A certificate cannot settle: whether Daayra uses its staged-encounter subject matter for visceral effect or for procedural critique. The CBFC's decision tells audiences the film is not an adults-only experience. It does not tell them how hard the film hits. That answer arrives in theatres on Friday.
Source: Filmibeat
