Rajkummar Rao’s Prahaar Brings Ujjwal Nikam’s 26/11 Case to Court

Rajkummar Rao is stepping away from the usual Bollywood hero template and into the robes of a real-life prosecutor. In an India Today interview, Rao and Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam discussed Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, a biographical courtroom drama built around the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.

The case behind the film

Nikam described the prosecution of the 26/11 attacks as more than a legal exercise. He called it “a fight against Pakistan.” The story draws on the evidence that shaped that fight, including video material secured from Chicago-based operative David Headley and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s links to Pakistani military officials.

Nikam also brought a personal thread to the conversation, recalling his interactions with Ajmal Kasab and a meeting in Islamabad with Pakistani prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfikar Ali before Ali’s assassination.

Why the courtroom angle matters

Bollywood has retold the 26/11 story from several angles, but this project places the prosecutor at the centre. It frames the attacks through evidence, cross-examination and legal memory instead of leaning only on action. It also gives the legal consequences of the attack equal weight to the attack itself, which is rare in mainstream Hindi cinema.

What the interview revealed

• Rajkummar Rao plays Ujjwal Nikam in the biographical courtroom drama Prahaar.
• Nikam calls the 26/11 prosecution “a fight against Pakistan.”
• David Headley’s video evidence and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Pakistan military links are part of the story.
• Lalit Prabhakar plays Ajmal Kasab in key courtroom scenes.
• Rao has also produced the project with Patralekhaa.

Rao said his preparation concentrated on Nikam’s mannerisms, courtroom energy and the way the prosecutor carries himself in public. In a courtroom drama, those smaller physical details can do as much work as the big arguments.

The Patralekhaa production credit adds another point of interest, but the interview stops short of revealing a release date. For now, the promise is clear: this is a 26/11 story told from the chair that faced the accused.

Source: India Today