Rajkummar Rao steps into the shoes of one of India's best-known public prosecutors in Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, a biographical courtroom drama that opened in cinemas on 16 October 2026, the Dussehra weekend.

Story

The film draws on the career of Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor whose name became familiar to the country through some of its most closely watched criminal trials. According to Times Now, the film explores Nikam's role in several high-profile cases, including the prosecution that followed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Other coverage notes that the 1993 Bombay bombings case is also part of the story. The focus is on the legal battles and the man fighting them, rather than a recreation of the attacks themselves.

Cast and crew

  • Rajkummar Rao as Ujjwal Nikam
  • Wamiqa Gabbi
  • Jaideep Ahlawat
  • Sikandar Kher
  • Lalit Prabhakar
  • Nassar
  • Ashish Vidyarthi
  • Ritvik Sahore

The film is directed by Avinash Arun, known for the Marathi film Killa and the series Paatal Lok. It is produced by Dinesh Vijan under the Maddock Films banner. Its music is credited to Vishal Mishra and rapper Emiway Bantai. The song "Mumbai Sapno Ka Samandar", featuring Emiway Bantai and Sunidhi Chauhan, was released in the week before the film opened.

This is Rao's second film with Wamiqa Gabbi after Bhool Chuk Maaf.

Release

Prahaar was first announced for 7 August 2026. Maddock Films moved it to avoid a crowded August, when Batwara 1947 and Awarapan 2 were both set for 14 August. A 4 September date was reportedly also considered. On 13 August, Maddock confirmed the new date of 16 October 2026 on social media, Times Now reported.

According to the same report, Nikam praised Rao's portrayal after the first look and teaser were released. The official trailer came out on Maddock Films' YouTube channel at the end of September.

Reception

The film opened on 16 October 2026, so critics' reviews are only starting to come in. We'll add a summary of the published reviews once the major outlets have weighed in.

Where to watch

Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam is in cinemas across India. No streaming partner had been announced at the time of writing.

Sources

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