• Source:JND

Kareena Kapoor Khan has spent over two decades moving between romance, comedy, drama and larger-than-life commercial cinema. But the actor has also delivered several performances that reveal a darker and more intense side of her acting.

From playing a mysterious sex worker in Talaash and a woman caught in a deadly conspiracy in Kurbaan to portraying a grieving detective in The Buckingham Murders, Kareena has explored some fascinating thriller territory.

Ahead of Daayra, here are six films worth revisiting on OTT.

1. The Buckingham Murders – Netflix

Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, Keith Allen, Adwoa Akoto

Plot: If you want to see Kareena completely step away from her glamorous image, The Buckingham Murders should be at the top of your list. Directed by Hansal Mehta, the mystery thriller follows Jasmeet Bhamra, a grieving British-Indian detective and single mother who is assigned the investigation into a missing child in Buckinghamshire. As the case progresses, she discovers tensions and secrets hidden beneath the seemingly peaceful community.

Kareena’s restrained performance is one of the film’s biggest attractions, with the actor portraying grief, professional determination and personal trauma without relying on her usual star persona.

OTT: Netflix.

2. Jaane Jaan – Netflix

Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Naisha Khanna

Plot: Sujoy Ghosh’s Jaane Jaan gave Kareena one of her most intriguing OTT roles. Based on Keigo Higashino’s novel The Devotion of Suspect X, the film follows Maya D’Souza, a single mother whose life becomes complicated after a crime involving her abusive former husband. Her neighbour Naren, a brilliant mathematics teacher, unexpectedly helps her, while a determined police officer investigates the case.

The film works because the mystery slowly unfolds through multiple perspectives, while Kareena’s Maya remains at the centre of the increasingly complicated investigation.

OTT: Netflix.

3. Talaash: The Answer Lies Within – Apple TV

Cast: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Rani Mukerji, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkummar Rao

Plot: Reema Kagti’s Talaash blends crime investigation with psychological mystery and emotional drama. Aamir Khan plays Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat, who investigates the mysterious death of a popular actor while struggling with the personal tragedy that has deeply affected his family life. During his investigation, he encounters Rosie, played by Kareena, a mysterious sex worker who becomes an unexpected part of his search for answers.

Kareena’s Rosie is deliberately enigmatic, making this one of the performances that showed a very different side of the actor.

OTT: Apple TV Store for rental/purchase in India; availability can vary by service.

4. Kurbaan – Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Kirron Kher, Om Puri, Dia Mirza

Plot: Kurbaan takes Kareena into much darker territory. She plays Avantika, a psychology professor who moves to the US with her husband Ehsaan, played by Saif Ali Khan. What initially appears to be a fresh start gradually turns frightening when Avantika discovers that the people around her may be connected to a secret terrorist network. Her growing suspicion about her husband’s identity and intentions drives the film’s tension.

The thriller gives Kareena plenty of room to portray fear, confusion and desperation as Avantika realises that her seemingly perfect life may have been built on lies.

OTT: Amazon Prime Video.

5. Aitraaz – Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5 and MX Player

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor

Plot: Abbas-Mustan’s Aitraaz combines psychological tension, obsession and courtroom drama. Kareena plays Priya, the wife of Raj, whose life changes dramatically when his former lover Sonia, played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, re-enters his life and accuses him of sexual harassment. Raj decides to fight the allegation in court, turning the personal conflict into a high-stakes legal battle.

While Priyanka’s negative role became the film’s biggest talking point, Aitraaz remains an interesting watch for Kareena’s performance as a woman standing beside her husband during an increasingly disturbing crisis.

OTT: Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5 and MX Player/Amazon MX Player, according to current India listings.

6. Omkara – Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah

Plot: Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara is not a conventional thriller, but its crime, betrayal and psychological tension make it an essential Kareena watch. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Othello, the film follows Omkara, a powerful enforcer whose trusted lieutenant Langda Tyagi begins plotting against him after being denied a promotion. At the centre of the growing conspiracy is Dolly, played by Kareena, whose relationship becomes entangled in jealousy, suspicion and manipulation.

Kareena’s portrayal of Dolly is understated yet emotionally powerful, making the film a major departure from the glamorous roles associated with her early career.

OTT: Amazon Prime Video; it is also listed through Eros Now Select and other services in India.

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Why These Kareena Kapoor Films Are Worth Revisiting Before Daayra?

These six titles reveal just how often Kareena has experimented with characters that are vulnerable, morally complicated, mysterious or caught in dangerous situations.

The Buckingham Murders and Jaane Jaan particularly represent the more mature thriller phase of her career, while Talaash, Kurbaan, Aitraaz and Omkara showcase earlier performances that challenged her familiar image. Ahead of Daayra, these six films are a compelling watch for anyone wanting to revisit Kareena’s lesser-seen, intense side.


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