Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Daayra Cleared by CBFC With No Visual Cuts; ‘Minister’ Replaces One Word

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s upcoming investigative thriller Daayra has cleared the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) ahead of its theatrical release, but with an adults-only certificate.

The Meghna Gulzar directorial was passed by the CBFC on September 11, 2026, with an ‘A’ certificate. More notably, the film reportedly went through the certification process without any visual cuts. The only modification reported so far concerns a dialogue in which one word was replaced with “Minister.”

The certification puts Daayra among the adult-rated films in Kareena Kapoor Khan’s filmography and arrives just days before its scheduled cinema release on September 18.

Daayra Gets an ‘A’ Certificate From CBFC

The CBFC certification means Daayra is restricted to adult audiences. According to the certification details reported after the film was passed, its certified length is 143 minutes and 16 seconds, or approximately 2 hours, 23 minutes and 16 seconds.

The CBFC itself explains that an ‘A’ certificate is the category used for films restricted to adult audiences.

For Daayra, the adult certification is notable given the nature of its story. The film is positioned as an investigative thriller and deals with disturbing criminal themes, including violence and sexual crimes.

No Visual Cuts Reported in Daayra

One of the more significant aspects of the certification is what the CBFC reportedly did not ask the makers to change.

According to the detailed certification report, there were no visual cuts to the film. This means that the violent sequences submitted by the filmmakers were not reported to have been removed or shortened as part of the certification process. The film's hard-hitting dialogue has also reportedly remained largely intact.

That is particularly relevant for a thriller like Daayra, where the treatment of crime and violence forms an important part of the narrative.

What Change Did the CBFC Ask For?

The certification process reportedly resulted in one small dialogue modification.

The Examining Committee asked the makers to “suitably modify” a dialogue spoken by Kareena Kapoor Khan’s character, Ajooni, at around the two-hour mark. Within that dialogue, one word was replaced with “Minister.”

The available reporting does not establish a broader set of cuts or changes beyond this modification. After the requested alteration was made, the film received its certificate on September 11.

It is therefore more accurate to describe Daayra as receiving no reported visual cuts with a limited dialogue modification, rather than saying the film was cleared completely untouched.

Kareena Kapoor Khan’s 10th ‘A’-Rated Film

Daayra will also become the 10th film in Kareena Kapoor Khan’s career to receive an ‘A’ certificate, according to current certification reporting.

Her earlier adult-rated films include:

• Ajnabee (2001)

• Chameli (2003)

• Dev (2004)

• Omkara (2006)

• Kurbaan (2009)

• Heroine (2012)

• Udta Punjab (2016)

• Veere Di Wedding (2018)

• The Buckingham Murders (2024)

The list reflects different stages of Kareena’s career, from crime and relationship dramas to socially themed films and contemporary thrillers.

With Daayra, the actor returns to another intense, adult-oriented project after the 2024 crime thriller The Buckingham Murders.

What Is Daayra About?

Directed by Meghna Gulzar, Daayra stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in prominent roles.

Kareena plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, while Prithviraj plays DCP Raman Kumar. The trailer presents the two police officers as characters who approach crime and justice from very different perspectives.

The film has generated particular curiosity because of its subject matter and Meghna Gulzar’s track record of making films rooted in serious social and political themes.

However, there has been some confusion surrounding the film's real-life inspiration. Early reports linked Daayra with the 2019 Hyderabad rape-murder case and the subsequent police encounter. Gulzar clarified at the trailer launch that the film is not based on one particular incident. Instead, she said the story draws from multiple real events from across India.

That distinction is important when discussing the film, as describing Daayra as a direct adaptation of the Hyderabad case would not accurately reflect the filmmaker's explanation.

Daayra Heads to Theatres on September 18

The CBFC clearance comes just days before Daayra's theatrical release.

The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on September 18, 2026, with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran leading the cast and Meghna Gulzar at the helm. Pen Marudhar lists Daayra among its theatrical releases, while current reporting confirms the September 18 release date.

The certification also gives prospective audiences a clearer indication of the film's intended viewing demographic. While the ‘A’ certificate restricts theatrical admission to adults, the absence of reported visual cuts suggests that the filmmakers have retained the film's original treatment of its intense material to a substantial degree.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The interesting part of Daayra's CBFC clearance is not simply that the film has received an ‘A’ certificate. The more significant detail is the combination of an adults-only rating with no reported visual cuts.

For an investigative thriller dealing with serious crimes, retaining the visual treatment can matter considerably to how the story is experienced. At the same time, the single reported dialogue modification shows that the certification process did involve a specific intervention.

Ultimately, the certificate does not determine whether Daayra succeeds as a thriller. That will depend on how effectively Meghna Gulzar and her cast translate the film's serious subject into a compelling cinematic narrative.

What the CBFC clearance does establish is that the film is now certified and ready for its September 18 theatrical release.

Sources & Verification

This report was independently researched by The Celebrity Hour using the CBFC's publicly available certification information and multiple current reports concerning Daayra's certification. The certification details were cross-checked against the CBFC database, while the reported dialogue modification and absence of visual cuts were treated as attributed certification reporting rather than independently extrapolated claims.

For the film's premise and its connection or lack of direct connection to any single real-life case, Meghna Gulzar's reported clarification at the trailer launch was also considered.