Meghna Gulzar Reveals Gulzar Would Send Actors To Wash Faces If They Wore 'Too Much Makeup'

Meghna added, "He used to write a scene where the actress is washing her face"

11 Sep 2026, 13:14 · NDTV

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Meghna Gulzars Daayra stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran as police officers
The film is inspired by true events involving juvenile crime and national outrage
Gulzar co-wrote the script and wrote lyrics for the song Sach Ka Daayra

Which real-life crime case inspired the story of Daayra?

Meghna Gulzar's Daayra, led by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is all set to hit the screens next week. At the music launch recently, Gulzar - credited as a co-writer on the script alongside Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal, and also the lyricist for the song Sach Ka Daayra - was present. It was here that Gulzar Saab revealed how he would make actors wash their faces if they applied too much makeup.

Gulzar said, "I used to keep toffees in my pockets. If you gave me a good shot, then I would present you with toffees. Even my technicians used to get them."

Meghna Gulzar mentioned, "This is something Sharmila (Tagore) ji will also know - that if an actress wore too much makeup on Gulzar's set, he would send them back to tone it down."

Gulzar continued, "Agar koi zyada kar leta tha, to scene vahin se shuru hota tha ki, 'Muh haath dhokar baat kijiye.'"

Meghna added, "He used to write a scene where the actress is washing her face."

Gulzar concluded, "Yes, they used to realise it, and then they would tell me to give them five to ten minutes to go and settle it."

About Daayra

The film stars Kareena and Prithviraj Sukumaran as police officers who face off while navigating the dark and complex world of juvenile crime.

As per the makers, the movie is “inspired by true events.”

Daayra unfolds in the “aftermath of a crime that grips the nation, sparking widespread outrage, while setting a series of events and two investigations in motion.”

“As the search for answers deepens, two senior police officers, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, find themselves navigating the same system through different approaches to duty and justice, on opposing sides of a case that challenges the very idea of right and wrong,” read a press note.

ALSO READ | Gulzar Made Achanak Without Songs 53 Years Ago. Has Meghna Gulzar Followed Him In Daayra?

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