Prahaar Release Date, Cast, Trailer: All We Know

Prahaar – The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam releases in theatres on 16 October 2026, with Rajkummar Rao playing prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam opposite Jaideep Ahlawat and Lalit Prabhakar as Ajmal Kasab.

Prahaar – The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam arrives in Hindi theatres on Friday, 16 October 2026. The Maddock Films courtroom drama, directed by Avinash Arun, stars Rajkummar Rao as special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who led the trial against 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab (1, 12). The film centres on the legal process rather than the attack itself, built around real names and no fictionalised glorification, as demanded by Nikam himself (16).

Prahaar release date

The tracker lists Prahaar's theatrical release as 16 October 2026, and multiple reports around the trailer launch confirmed the same date (1, 4, 9, 10, 15). A later report placed the opening on 24 October, but this conflicts with the tracker and other coverage, so the 16 October date stands.

Prahaar cast

Actor	Role
Rajkummar Rao	Ujjwal Nikam(1)
Wamiqa Gabbi	—
Jaideep Ahlawat	Lawyer defending Kasab, reportedly a Pakistani antagonist (2, 4)
Sikandar Kher	—
Lalit Prabhakar	Ajmal Kasab(3)
Nassar	—
Ashish Vidhyarthi	—
Ritwik Sahore	Aniket Nikam, Ujjwal Nikam's son(10)

Rajkummar Rao reportedly gained eight kilograms to play the 73-year-old Nikam, studying videos, photographs and books on the case to prepare (9). Rao and Jaideep Ahlawat, who have known each other since their days at the Film and Television Institute of India, are sharing the screen together for the first time in the film (15). Lalit Prabhakar secured the role of Kasab after what is described as a grueling audition process, then worked on the terrorist's mindset, speech patterns and physicality (3).

Prahaar story

The film follows Ujjwal Nikam's courtroom pursuit of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks, focusing on the trial rather than the attack itself (1, 12). Nikam has said he did not want a biopic but a film about the trial, describing it as a story about the decision to try Kasab rather than simply punish him (12). Ritwik Sahore's character, Aniket Nikam, brings a family dimension to the story, framing it as being about the aftermath of 26/11 and the resilience behind the legal battle that followed (10).

Prahaar trailer and songs

The trailer, running about two minutes, was launched at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai, the site where the 26/11 attacks began and where Nikam later built his case (2, 4, 5). Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attended as chief guest and called Rao's performance "accomplished" (6). Three songs have been released ahead of the film. Mere Rehte, sung by Vishal Mishra and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, is described as a courtroom monologue set to melody (8). Tujh Mein Basi Meri Jaan, composed by Pritam with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, reunites singers Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam and features Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi as a couple (13, 14). Mumbai Sapno Ka Samandar, a rap track by Emiway Bantai and Sunidhi Chauhan with music by Memax, was released by T-Series (17).

Prahaar rights deals and budget

The film is produced by Maddock Films under Dinesh Vijan (2, 12).

Prahaar advance booking and box office

Prahaar is set to open on the same Friday as a Hollywood franchise reboot and competes in a crowded October box office window (7). Actor Yami Gautam Dhar's film Nayyi Navelli is also releasing on 16 October, setting up a clash between the two titles (11).

Ahead of release, Prahaar's makers Dinesh Vijan and Ujjwal Nikam met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur, a meeting Zee News reported left Bhagwat "touched" by the story (19, 20).

Prahaar OTT release

No OTT release date has been reported yet.

Sources

Last updated 13 October 2026. This guide is kept by CutMirchi's automated Guide Desk from the stories listed above and from our release tracker, and is refreshed as new reports come in. Dates and figures are as those reports gave them; trade figures are estimates.