Eighteen years after 26/11, Hindi cinema keeps returning to the attacks. The latest entry, Prahaar, shifts the camera from the bloodshed to the legal battle that followed. Directed by Avinash Arun and written by Sumit Roy, the film stars Rajkummar Rao as Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor who built the case against Ajmal Kasab. Hindustan Times critic Rishabh Suri rates it 3 stars.
This is not the first film in 2026 to revisit the tragedy; Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata arrived earlier in the year with its own angle. Prahaar tries a different entry point: the lawyer’s chair instead of the attack itself.
The case opens strongly
The review says the first half is crisp and builds to a compelling interval point. Nikam is shown taking charge in the aftermath of the attacks, and the film introduces the defence through Abbas Kazmi, played by Sikandar Kher. Jaideep Ahlawat appears as Pakistani prosecutor Zulfiqar Ali in a track the review calls “all of it true” and superbly executed. The dialogues also receive a special mention.
Equally important is what the film avoids. Suri notes that Prahaar works neither as a conventional India vs Pakistan narrative nor as a story leaning on religious fault lines. Its chosen register is a courtroom fight over procedure and evidence, which gives the film a fresh but demanding frame.
Where the focus slips
After the interval, the film drifts. Nikam’s personal life, especially his wife played by Wamiqa Gabbi and his strained relationship with his son, occupies more screen time than it warrants. There is also a detour into Kasab’s mental health in jail that, the review argues, adds little to the larger narrative.
- What works: a tight first half, strong dialogues and an effective Zulfiqar Ali track.
- Who holds attention: Rajkummar Rao. Suri writes there are moments you genuinely forget he is acting.
- What tests patience: family subplots and a jail detour that dilute the courtroom focus.
Between two modes
The supporting cast makes its mark. Sikandar Kher is described as simply too good, Wamiqa Gabbi gets the body language of an ageing woman right, and Ashish Vidyarthi, as the judge, makes his presence felt.
But the review’s core problem is structural. Prahaar tries to be a courtroom drama and a family saga at the same time, and the balance slips after a strong start. When the stakes are already historic, a digression into domestic strain can feel like a loss of momentum.
Suri’s 3-star verdict is measured. The film comes close, mainly because of Rao, but the wounds of 26/11, he writes, “deserve a retelling that does justice to the magnitude.” That is the review in one sentence.
Source: Hindustan Times