Cinema VinesIn a media interaction in New Delhi on Wednesday evening, filmmaker Meghna Gulzar spoke about how her sense of outrage over crime and justice issues has shaped her recent work, while insisting that cinema must also nurture hope and spark conversations that could eventually lead to change. Gulzar, known for critically acclaimed films such as Talvar, Raazi, Chhapaak and Sam, said she does not want to lose optimism despite the many problems she sees in society. “There is outrage in me, I will not deny it and there has been for many years but one can’t lose hope, one cannot stop being optimistic. Therefore, all I can do is create cinema that helps to keep that hope alive, or ask the question, or maybe enforce change,” she explained to PTI.
Gulzar reflected on the impact of her earlier films, noting that Talvar (2015) and Chhapaak (2020) both tackled crime, justice and social change. She recalled that after the release of Talvar, a high court judgment exonerated the Talwar family, which she described as a form of redemption. Similarly, Chhapaak prompted a re‑look at acid‑sale regulations, another instance of redemption for the director. She hopes that her new film, Daayra, will also prompt improvements in law enforcement and the judicial system, even if it only begins to shift thinking.
Starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, Daayra follows the aftermath of a brutal gang‑rape and murder that sparks widespread outrage and sets in motion two parallel investigations. The plot centers on senior police officers DCP Ajooni Kohli and DCP Raman Kumar, portrayed by Sukumaran, who find themselves on opposing sides of the case and navigate the same system with contrasting approaches to duty and justice. While some viewers have drawn parallels between the film’s narrative and the 2019 Hyderabad rape‑murder case, Gulzar clarified that it is not based on any single incident.
Gulzar emphasized that although Daayra explores themes of crime, punishment and justice similar to those in her earlier work, she had no deliberate plan to create a trilogy. “It’s purely a coincidence,” she said. The director remains committed to using cinema as a vehicle for hope and reform, believing that even small shifts in public discourse can lead to meaningful change.
