Kareena Kapoor is gearing up for the release of the investigative drama Daayra. The actor who has been in the industry for more than two decades now and has worked with a range of directors in many genres. In a new candid townhall interaction with Yuvaa, Kareena called out the herd mentality that still exists within the Hindi film industry.
She name-dropped the example of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’ s Animal and said everyone wants to make more violent films after its success.
Ranbir played Ranvijay Vijay Singh, a man shaped by childhood trauma inflicted by his emotionally distant father, portrayed by Anil Kapoor. A sequel, Animal Park , is in the works. Inspired by true events, Daayra is helmed by Meghna Gulzar , with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran leading the cast. Meghna has co-written the film with Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal. Backed by Junglee Pictures and Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios), the film will be distributed by Pen Marudhar.
Released in 2023, Animal was a hyper-violent action drama that explored a twisted father-son relationship. The film was a huge box office success, grossing over ₹ 900 crore worldwide. The film is releasing in theatres on September 18, 2026.
Not every film is going to make ₹ 200 crore or ₹ 500 crore. They know exactly when its a good film and they want to watch it. All these things are very dated, ki abhi violence chal rahi hai… ki abhi Animal chal gayi toh chalo sab violence kar lete hai. We are herd mentality, what to say? Then there are filmmakers who want to make something different, who provoke your thoughts and who have their own fan following. I feel like things are changing now. The audience will now watch the trailer and say that we want to watch this film. She went on to add, “The young audience will ask the thought provoking questions. Now filmmakers cannot go and make a film saying its a comedy so people will definitely watch it! I feel like we are changing it and the audience is helping us. Daayra stars Kareena and Prithviraj Sukumaran as cops who face off while navigating the dark and complex world of juvenile crime. As per the makers, the film is “inspired by true events.
Kareena said, “Our audience is smarter than we think. Daayra unfolds in the “aftermath of a crime that grips the nation sparking widespread outrage, while setting a series of events and 2 investigations in motion.” So today it is not just about a young love story.
