How 50 Extras Made Prahaar’s Toughest Scenes Real

Rajkummar Rao is no stranger to emotionally taxing roles, but Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam asked him to carry a different kind of burden. At the India Today Mumbai Conclave 2026, he admitted that the toughest scenes were not the loudest ones. They were the scenes where the courtroom turned into a container for real grief.

The scenes that stayed with Rao

During the session The Man vs. The Movie: Kasab, the 26/11 Attacks & the Battle for Justice, Rao shared the stage with the real Ujjwal Nikam and pointed to two emotional centres in the film: the courtroom testimony and Nikam’s wife, Jyoti.

• A child witness brings the court to silence: A young actor playing a child witness performed so convincingly that the courtroom fell silent. Rao said it felt as if everyone was reliving the experience on the spot.
• Fifty extras who never broke character: Director Avinash asked the cast and about 50 extras to stay inside the courtroom for every shot, not just their own. The extras kept reacting even when the camera was not on them.
• Lalit Prabhakar’s immersion as Kasab: Rao praised the actor playing Ajmal Kasab for remaining fully inside the scene, which made the courtroom feel charged and real.

Why the personal scenes mattered

The other difficult stretch involved Nikam returning every Friday to be with Jyoti while she battled cancer, then going back to court the next morning. Rao described those scenes as emotionally beautiful, because they show the prosecutor stepping away from the 26/11 case to sit beside the love of his life, then returning to the fight.

That rhythm, personal loss on one side and public duty on the other, gives the film its emotional spine. It also explains why Nikam’s courtroom composure feels earned rather than rehearsed.

What to watch for in Prahaar

For fans who plan to watch the film, Rao’s revelations offer a viewing lens. The courtroom scenes are not just about cross-examination. They are built on atmosphere: a director who refused to let the set empty out, extras who kept listening, and actors who stayed in the moment.

Nikam also shared details of the case that add context: securing video evidence from David Headley, establishing Lashkar-e-Taiba’s links to Pakistan military officials, and his discussions in Islamabad with Pakistani prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfikar Ali before Ali’s assassination. That background makes the film’s quieter choices feel purposeful.

Rao prepared by studying Nikam’s mannerisms, courtroom energy and public persona. The result, if the actor’s account is any guide, is less an imitation and more an attempt to understand how a man carries a national tragedy while grieving privately.

Source: India Today