Prahaar Review: Rajkummar Rao’s Gripping Courtroom Drama
Rajkummar Rao plays prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam in Prahaar, Avinash Arun's taut 26/11 courtroom drama that critics are calling a big-screen must.
There is a moment in Prahaar where a courtroom argument is over almost as soon as it begins—sharp, clipped and devastating. Avinash Arun’s film turns the 26/11 Mumbai terror trial into a focused legal drama that runs 2 hours 20 minutes, yet rarely feels long.
The story follows public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, played by Rajkummar Rao, as he builds the case against Muhammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving attacker from the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Nearly 18 years after those attacks, the film revisits the effort to prove in court that the violence was planned from Pakistan rather than reduced to a local communal issue.
What works in Prahaar
Sumit Roy’s screenplay keeps the legal arguments tight, and the dialogue lands in one or two hard lines instead of long monologues. As the review puts it, the dialogue is “impactful despite being just 1-2 lines.”
- Rajkummar Rao is exceptional as Nikam, moving between controlled delivery and raw feeling as a prosecutor torn between nation and family.
- Lalit Prabhakar makes Kasab properly unsettling—his stare and nervous physical tics are hard to shake.
- Wamiqa Gabbi has a smaller role but holds her own, while Jaideep Ahlawat is flawless and Sikandar Kher balances fierceness in court with private unease.
- Ashish Vidyarthi as Justice M L Tahiliyani gives the courtroom warmth and authority.
The craft behind the tension
Avinash Arun, known for Paatal Lok and Pritam and Pedro, keeps the legal conflict from colliding with the film’s quieter father-son moments. The cinematography moves between Mumbai’s beauty and the violence at CSMT, while the lighting around Kasab in jail adds to the dread. Because there is no room for songs, the background score carries the tension—and it keeps you engaged even when you already know the outcome.
Supporting players such as Ritwik Sahore and Ajinkya Deo may have limited screen time, but they add grief and a hunger for justice in small, raw moments. The review singles out the child artist’s emotional confession in court as another reason the film lands.
Why it matters for Bollywood fans
The 26/11 trial has been recreated before, but Prahaar stands out because it pairs the courtroom thriller with an emotional core and lets the supporting cast fill the edges. For Rajkummar Rao fans, this is being positioned as one of his finest performances; for Lalit Prabhakar, it is the kind of role that travels far beyond Marathi cinema.
If you like a tight, tense legal drama, book the big screen this weekend. The writing, the performances and the score are all reasons to see it in theatres rather than wait.
Source: Bollywood Bubble
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