Mumbai [India], September 19: Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Daayra has opened to a slow response at the Indian box office. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the crime thriller collected around ₹90 lakh net on its opening day, according to the latest Sacnilk estimate. The film released in theatres on September 18 and marks the first big-screen collaboration between Kareena and Prithviraj.
The opening also puts Daayra below Kareena Kapoor’s previous lowest opener, The Buckingham Murders. That 2024 film collected around ₹1.05–1.15 crore on its first day, depending on the trade source. Daayra has therefore started below that benchmark, making it Kareena’s lowest opening-day performer based on the current reported figures.
Daayra recorded around 12 per cent overall occupancy on Friday across approximately 2,283 shows, with the Hindi version accounting for the overwhelming majority of its business. The Hindi version contributed roughly ₹82 lakh, while the Malayalam version added around ₹3 lakh in the earlier estimate. Later updates put the combined India net at approximately ₹90 lakh.
The film has arrived with a serious and intense storyline. Daayra follows two police officers who find themselves caught in a moral and professional conflict after a controversial encounter killing linked to a brutal rape-and-murder case. The narrative examines questions around policing, accountability, institutional decisions and the consequences of actions taken during an investigation.
The film’s opening comes despite the combination of a well-known cast and Meghna Gulzar, whose previous films have included socially driven dramas. Kareena and Prithviraj’s pairing had also generated curiosity before release, particularly because this is their first film together.
Early reviews have been relatively measured rather than dismissive. Hindustan Times gave the film 3 stars, noting that the first half takes a deliberate approach to the investigation while the second half gains momentum. The review also highlighted the film’s focus on institutional accountability rather than relying entirely on shock value.
The slow start also comes at a challenging time for the film at the box office. Daayra has released alongside other new theatrical titles, including Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe. According to The Indian Express, Vibe recorded around ₹1.5 crore on its opening day from 3,194 shows, putting it ahead of Daayra on Friday.
For Daayra, the weekend will be particularly important. A film with a relatively low opening can still improve its theatrical performance if Saturday and Sunday collections rise significantly, especially when audience word of mouth is positive. The first-day figure alone does not determine the final theatrical run, particularly for a content-driven thriller that may depend more heavily on reviews and audience response than on a large opening driven by spectacle.
The film’s performance is also being watched closely because of Kareena Kapoor’s recent box-office record. Her previous theatrical release, The Buckingham Murders, was a much smaller-scale crime drama and earned ₹1.05 crore on its opening day before finishing with around ₹9.27 crore net in India. Daayra has started below that figure, although its final performance will depend on how collections develop over the coming days.
The pairing of Kareena and Prithviraj remains one of the film’s major talking points. Both actors play police officers dealing with the fallout of a controversial incident, giving the story a procedural and morally complex setting. Meghna Gulzar has used the investigation to explore how decisions made within the police system can affect both individuals and institutions.
With the first-day collection currently estimated at around ₹90 lakh, Daayra now needs stronger weekend numbers to build momentum at the box office. The Saturday and Sunday trends will provide a clearer indication of whether the film can attract a wider audience beyond its initial theatrical opening.
For now, the Day 1 figures mark a subdued beginning for the Kareena Kapoor-Prithviraj Sukumaran collaboration. The film has a serious subject, an acclaimed director and a prominent cast, but its theatrical journey will ultimately depend on how audiences respond during the first weekend and the weeks ahead.
