Ever Since I Became a Mother I Have Become a Better Actor Says Kareena Kapoor Khan

“Ever since I've become a mother, I've also become a better actor. I don't know why.” With this candid admission, Kareena Kapoor Khan offered a deeply personal insight into how motherhood has influenced her craft while speaking at the trailer launch of Daayra in Mumbai. The actress, who plays senior police officer DCP Ajooni Kohli in Meghna Gulzar's upcoming crime thriller, revealed that the character has stayed with her long after she finished shooting.

Kareena was speaking about the emotional honesty required from an actor — and whether performing something intense on screen can stay with you even after returning home. For her, Daayra appears to be one of those projects that refuses to simply remain on a film set. The actress explained that the writing, the character and even the conversations around the film have continued to occupy a space in her mind.

“Definitely, Daayraa is one such film that, like Prithvi said, he speaks so well. That after what he said, I just kind of suck that in too. Ah, it always stays with you. You know, and certain parts. I just feel like the part,” Kareena said, describing the lingering emotional impact of the film.

She went on to speak about Meghna Gulzar's writing and how the role of Ajooni has affected her beyond the boundaries of acting. “Like one, what Meghna has written has given me more status in my life. I feel that. As a mother, as an actor. I just feel like a part written by her, and I had this opportunity to play it. It has stayed with me,” she said.

It is this connection between the actor and the character that makes Kareena's comment about motherhood particularly interesting. Becoming a mother has often been described as a life-changing experience, but Kareena believes it has also changed the way she approaches her work. She did not try to offer a carefully constructed explanation either. Instead, she simply admitted, “I don't know why” — making the observation feel all the more spontaneous and honest.

For an actor playing a character in a story inspired by true events, that emotional openness can become an important part of the process. Daayra revolves around a crime involving juveniles that triggers nationwide outrage and sets two investigations into motion. At the centre are two senior police officers, Kareena's DCP Ajooni Kohli and Prithviraj Sukumaran's DCP Raman Kumar, who approach the case with very different ideas about duty and justice.

The film does not appear interested in giving audiences an easy hero-versus-villain equation. Instead, Meghna Gulzar places her characters in a morally complicated situation where truth is difficult to define and every decision comes with consequences. The trailer's central idea — “No black. No white. Difficult questions. No easy answers.” — sums up the world of Daayra rather perfectly.

Kareena's Ajooni is also being presented as a different kind of police officer. She is confident and sensitive without needing to constantly prove her toughness. At an earlier interaction, Kareena explained that she did not want the character to become a stereotypical cop simply because she wears the uniform. Ajooni's femininity is part of who she is, rather than something she needs to suppress to establish authority.

That approach makes her performance particularly intriguing. Ajooni's strength appears to come from knowing what she is doing and understanding the situation she finds herself in. It is a quieter form of authority, one that fits naturally into the morally grey universe Meghna has created.

Daayra marks Meghna Gulzar's third collaboration with Junglee Pictures, following Talvar and Raazi. The filmmaker has previously explored complex stories rooted in real-world circumstances, and this new film continues that interest while placing two senior police officers at the centre of an emotionally charged investigation.

For Kareena, though, Daayra seems to have become more than another challenging role. Her comments suggest that the experience has followed her beyond the film — something she connects, at least partly, to the person she has become since motherhood. Whether that translates into her most emotionally nuanced performance yet is something audiences will discover when the film arrives.

With Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran leading the cast and Meghna Gulzar directing, Daayra is set to release in cinemas on September 18, 2026. But before the mystery of the film unfolds on screen, Kareena has already given audiences something worth thinking about: sometimes the biggest changes in an actor's performance begin not with a new role, but with a new chapter in life.

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