Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam Releases 16 October: Rajkummar Rao as the 26/11 Prosecutor, Trailer, Cast and Why It Was Delayed
Prahaar, the biopic of special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam who led the Kasab trial, reaches cinemas on 16 October after moving from August. Rajkummar Rao plays Nikam, with Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher, directed by Avinash Arun. The real cases behind the film and what the trailer shows.
The Blake Tenement (1760-1772), 6-8 Courthouse Square, Charleston, SC. Photo: Spencer Means via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
October's Hindi release calendar is unusually full, and the third big film of the month is a courtroom biopic. Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam opens on Thursday 16 October, with Rajkummar Rao as the prosecutor whose name most Indians know from the 26/11 trial.
Who Ujjwal Nikam is
Ujjwal Nikam is a special public prosecutor from Maharashtra who handled some of India's most watched criminal cases over three decades: the 1993 Mumbai blasts, the Gulshan Kumar murder, the Pramod Mahajan murder and, most famously, the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker captured alive after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Kasab was convicted and executed in 2012. Nikam later entered politics and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2025.
The film
Prahaar is directed by Avinash Arun, the cinematographer turned director known for Killa and the series Paatal Lok, and produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films. Rao plays Nikam. Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sikandar Kher and Ashish Vidyarthi fill out the cast, with Ahlawat, fresh from Drishyam 3, in a role the trailer keeps deliberately ambiguous.
What the trailer shows
The trailer frames the film around the Kasab trial: the pressure to deliver a conviction that would hold up internationally, the threats to Nikam's life and the courtroom exchanges that made headlines at the time. It also nods to his earlier cases through quick montages.
Why it was delayed
The film was first dated for 7 August 2026. The makers moved it to 16 October, a decision widely read as avoiding a crowded August and claiming the week before Dussehra, which falls on 20 October. The trade-off is that it now follows Drishyam 3 and Udta Teer in consecutive weeks.
Rao's run
Rajkummar Rao has built a career on grounded, real-life roles, from Shahid to Srikanth. A prosecutor biopic fits that pattern, and early reactions to the trailer have focused on how closely he has matched Nikam's mannerisms and speech.
Frequently asked questions
When does Prahaar release?
16 October 2026.
Who plays Ujjwal Nikam?
Rajkummar Rao.
Who directed Prahaar?
Avinash Arun.
What cases does Prahaar cover?
Primarily the 26/11 trial of Ajmal Kasab, with references to Nikam's earlier high-profile prosecutions.
Why was Prahaar postponed?
The makers moved it from 7 August to 16 October, placing it in the week before Dussehra.
