Prahaar Movie Review: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Prahaar is a tense, emotional courtroom drama with sharp writing and strong performances. Rajkummar Rao is excellent as Ujjwal Nikam, and the film stays gripping for most of its 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Platform: Theatres
Genre: Courtroom Drama
Director: Avinash Arun
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Lalit Prabhakar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat
Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes
Most of us remember the 26/11 Mumbai attacks from news reports and television bulletins. What we rarely saw was what happened afterwards, inside the courtroom, where lawyers had to piece together evidence and prove the case. Prahaar focuses on exactly that, and it is the reason the film feels fresh instead of like another retelling of a tragedy.
The film follows public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, played by Rajkummar Rao, as he works to bring Ajmal Kasab to justice. The tension comes from arguments, counterarguments, and the huge responsibility of presenting evidence that cannot be shaken. There are no songs or big action scenes here. The story runs on dialogue, testimony, and emotion, and it holds your attention well.
Director Avinash Arun deserves credit for keeping everything tight. The legal drama is mixed with personal moments, including a gentle father-and-son track that gives Nikam’s work a human side. The writing never feels loose, and the film moves along without dragging.
The recreation of the attack at CST is disturbing. It shows innocent people caught in the violence, and it brings back feelings of anger, grief, and helplessness. It isn’t easy to watch, but it fits the seriousness of the subject.
A few courtroom moments stand out too. The scene where Nikam challenges Kasab’s claim that he was a juvenile is built with real force. The pre-interval block builds strong tension, and a scene after the break, where a young girl gives her testimony, is very emotional. Child actor Dior Ranju Varghese is wonderful in that part, and it is one of the film’s most powerful stretches.
Rajkummar Rao is the heart of Prahaar. He plays Nikam with calm confidence and sharp focus, and you believe he is the man who can stand in front of a courtroom and win it over. This is yet another strong biographical role from an actor who clearly enjoys getting into a real person’s skin.
If you are curious about the money side of the film, our piece on the Prahaar cast salary and movie budget breaks it all down.
Lalit Prabhakar is excellent as Kasab. He keeps his performance controlled and avoids showy acting, and that makes it far more unsettling. Jaideep Ahlawat brings his usual weight and authority, and Wamiqa Gabbi adds to the strong ensemble.
Sikandar Kher is fantastic too, especially in his courtroom scenes and a family moment at a restaurant. Ashish Vidyarthi feels very real in his role, and Ritwik Sahore and Ajinkya Deo also make their mark.
There is little room for songs in a film like this, and you don’t miss them. The background score is the real star on the technical side. It builds tension at the right moments and adds emotional weight without taking attention away from the story.
Prahaar is a serious, well-made film that respects its subject. It doesn’t try to shock you with spectacle. It lets the evidence, the testimony, and the performances do the work, and that makes it feel honest. If you like courtroom dramas based on real cases, this one is easy to recommend.
If you want something lighter after this heavy watch, our Jailer 2 review has plenty of whistles and laughs from Rajinikanth’s latest outing.