Harshvardhan Rane to Play Daya Nayak
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has announced his next feature film, Police Company, a crime drama inspired by the Mumbai Police’s fight against organised crime during one of the most violent periods in the city’s underworld history. T-Series is backing the project, which marks Varma’s return to the crime genre that established his reputation as a filmmaker.
Harshvardhan Rane will play former police officer and encounter specialist Daya Nayak in the film. Nayak gained widespread recognition for his operations against Mumbai’s criminal syndicates during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
A Story Set During Mumbai’s Underworld Wars
Varma revealed the film’s title and concept through a series of social media posts. He described Police Company as a story about specialised police squads that fought organised crime.
The filmmaker introduced the project with the tagline, “It Is More Dangerous Than D Company,” and explained the idea behind the film. He said criminal gangs operate as money-making organisations, while powerful institutions such as the police can also become dangerous when authorities give them extraordinary powers.
The film explores a turbulent period in Mumbai’s underworld after Dawood Ibrahim strengthened his control over rival gangs and expanded his criminal network, which later became known as D Company.
Dawood Ibrahim and the Rise of D Company
Varma said Dawood Ibrahim eliminated several rival gangs before moving to Dubai and leaving his associate Chhota Rajan to oversee operations.
The subsequent split between Dawood and Chhota Rajan intensified rivalry within Mumbai’s criminal underworld. Their conflict contributed to a period of heightened gang violence across the city.
According to Varma, the growing criminal activity pushed authorities to create a specialised police squad. The squad conducted an extensive crackdown on gangsters between 1997 and 2004.
Harshvardhan Rane Takes on Daya Nayak
Varma confirmed that Police Company draws inspiration from the story of that special police unit, with particular attention to Daya Nayak.
Harshvardhan Rane will portray the former encounter specialist, marking his first collaboration with Ram Gopal Varma. Varma has also shared Rane’s first-look images from the film, introducing the actor in his role as Nayak.
The director has indicated that the film will feature a large ensemble cast, although he has not officially announced the remaining cast members.
Ram Gopal Varma Returns to the Crime Genre
Police Company brings Varma back to the Mumbai underworld stories that shaped films such as Satya, Company and D. The announcement has attracted interest from fans of crime dramas because the film draws inspiration from real events and figures connected to Mumbai’s organised crime history.
For Harshvardhan Rane, the project adds another major film to his upcoming lineup. The actor is also expected to appear in Milap Zaveri’s Uniform, Omung Kumar’s Silaa and Force 3, where he will reportedly share the screen with John Abraham.
With Police Company, Ram Gopal Varma plans to revisit a turbulent period of Mumbai’s gang wars and examine the police operations that changed the city’s criminal landscape.