Prahaar review: Rajkummar Rao disappears into Ujjwal Nikam

Prahaar is not another 26/11 film that leans on easy outrage. Telangana Today’s review of Avinash Arun’s 140-minute courtroom drama says the film keeps its gaze on the legal system, the family caught in the blast radius of a historic trial, and a question that follows you throughout: who is the real hero?

The review is unambiguous: the film is a must-watch, largely because it refuses the flag-waving and testosterone-heavy dialogue that often accompany films about the November 26, 2008 attacks.

A prosecutor, a defender, and a scarred family

Rajkummar Rao plays Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor chosen to argue the case against Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving attacker. The film opens around the edges of the tragedy: the Nikam family is celebrating daughter Sharvari’s wedding when the city comes under attack.

That framing matters. The courtroom is the arena, but the film keeps returning to the private cost. Wife Jyoti, played by Wamiqa Gabbi, is a steady support in his professional life, while son Aniket, played by Ritvik Sahore, carries a troubled relationship with his father.

Sikandar Kher plays defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi. The review finds his restraint so effective that choosing between him and Rao becomes difficult. Ashish Vidyarthi appears as Justice Tahiliyani, Devika Rotawan as young witness Komal, and Lalit Prabhakar as Kasab, with Jaideep Ahlawat adding weight to a cast that never tips into melodrama.

What works: tight writing and a restrained frame

The review credits a script written with precision by Dushyant Arora, Sumit Roy and Ishat Tiwari. Crisp dialogue and editor Sri Roy’s cutting keep the 140 minutes tight. The piece argues that Prahaar works because it explores the space between slow justice and rushed justice.

• It revisits the tragedy of 26/11 without recreating every historical detail.
• It lets the courtroom carry the drama through false leads and fierce arguments, not spectacle.
• It gives enough room to the family’s wounds to avoid becoming a dry legal procedural.

Why this matters for Hindi film fans

For an audience that has seen the 26/11 story told many times, the pitch here is restraint. The review describes Rao’s performance as award-worthy, and its highest compliment is that the actor disappears. As the review puts it, “There is only Ujjwal Nikam on screen — no Rajkummar Rao.”

The film’s larger subject, according to the review, may be the system itself: how and why Indian jurisprudence continues to offer a fair trial even to a man accused of such violence. That choice makes Prahaar a conversation piece as much as a thriller.

What to do before you book your ticket

Go in prepared for a 140-minute courtroom drama rather than an action film. The review notes a few moments where Lalit Prabhakar’s Kasab pushes too far, but the overall control holds. If you watch for performances, the face-off between Rao and Kher is the main event.

Source: Telangana Today