Prateek Tanmay
3 min readMumbaiJun 25, 2026 05:02 PM IST
Rajkummar Rao is set to completely transform himself into renowned public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam in the upcoming courtroom thriller Prahaar, whose teaser was unveiled on Thursday afternoon. The over one-minute-long teaser offers a glimpse into the intense courtroom battle surrounding one of India’s most sensitive criminal cases, the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rajkummar steps into the shoes of Nikam as he leads the prosecution against terrorist Ajmal Kasab and seeks justice for the victims of the attacks.
The teaser opens with Rajkummar Rao, dressed in a lawyer’s robes, as Ujjwal Nikam’s voiceover sets the stage for the case. He says that many people have asked him why, despite overwhelming evidence proving that Ajmal Kasab was one of the terrorists responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he was not immediately punished. The voiceover further questions why the government was spending significant resources to keep Kasab in prison instead of punishing him for his crimes.
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The teaser reaches a dramatic turning point when Nikam refers to Inspector Sanjay Govilkar, who was shot by Kasab during the attacks. Despite being injured while helping capture the terrorist, the police officer did not kill him. In court, Nikam passionately argues that Govilkar spared Kasab because he was crucial evidence in the case. He then questions the very purpose of the legal process and how it’s respected in India, saying, “Yahi karan hai ki hum Kasab jaise aatankwadi ko bhi kanoon ke raste par chal kar uske gunaho ki saza denge, hum?” (This is precisely why we will ensure that even a terrorist like Kasab is punished for his crimes through the due process of law.)
The teaser builds towards its climax as Nikam demands the death penalty for Kasab for waging war against India. The final moments feature glimpses of the film’s ensemble cast, including Jaideep Ahlawat, Wamiqa Gabbi and Sikandar Kher. Prahaar is directed by Avinash Arun, with story, screenplay and dialogues by Sumit Roy. The film is produced by Dinesh Vijan and is slated for a theatrical release on August 7.
Watch the full teaser here:
Who is Ujjwal Nikam?
Ujjwal Nikam is one of India’s most prominent public prosecutors and is best known for representing the prosecution in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. Over the course of his career, he has been associated with several high-profile cases, including the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2013 Mumbai gang rape case. In recognition of his contributions to the legal field, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016. However, it is his role in securing the conviction of Ajmal Kasab that remains his most widely recognised achievement. Following Kasab’s execution, Nikam had described it as a victory for India.
In 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party fielded him as its candidate from Mumbai North Central constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, although he was unsuccessful. In 2025, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the field of law, particularly his work as a public prosecutor in several major criminal and terrorism-related cases.
