Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 19 : Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer Daayra hit the theatres on Friday, opening to decent reviews from both audiences and critics.
The film marks Kareena and Prithviraj’s outing as cops, adding an intriguing dimension to the crime thriller.
Despite the positive response, however, Meghna Gulzar's directorial 'Daayra' has not generated significant buzz at the box office.
On its opening day, the film collected Rs 1.15 crore (official net BOC) in India only. 
In a post on X, trade analyst Taran Adarsh mentioned, "#Daayra records a low total on Day 1... The film had a very compact release [700 cinemas] and, keeping that aspect in mind, coupled with the fact that there were *no promotional offers*, the Day 1 numbers showed an encouraging trend from the evening shows onwards. The makers have opted for the #BOGO ticket offer on Saturday and Sunday, which should hopefully help drive footfalls and push business upwards.   #Daayra [Week 1] Fri ₹ 1.15 cr. Official Nett BOC | #India biz | #Boxoffice."

The film 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 movie is "inspired by true events."
Recently, at a press meet in Delhi, Kareena opened up about navigating the moral conflict between law and justice while portraying police officer Ajooni in Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Daayra’, saying the film explores a space where the truth is not always simply black and white.
“Jaise Gulzar Sahab ne likha tha in the song, ‘sach ka daayra toh badalte rehta hai’,” Kareena said, explaining the challenge of staying aligned with Ajooni amid the film’s central conflict.
“It was difficult for me also to stay on track with Ajooni because there is always going to be a conflict. I’m sure as a director Meghna felt that while writing it, I’m sure Prithviraj’s character, Raman, has felt that. So, it is very difficult,” she added while speaking to the media.
Kareena said that while she personally prefers to see things in clear terms, ‘Daayra’ operates in a morally ambiguous space.
“But as a person, I walk the straight line. I like to believe in life that it’s black and white. But in the film, it is grey. That is for sure,” she said. In ‘Daayra’, Kareena plays Ajooni, a police officer whose approach to justice is rooted in law and procedure. The character is also a departure from the conventional portrayal of female police officers on screen, with Kareena describing Ajooni as feminine, calm and stern rather than an action-oriented cop.
“There has traditionally been a stereotypical format for female cops where she has to be butch, walk in a certain masculine way, and pick up a gun to do high-octane action,” Kareena said.