Ram Gopal Varma and Mohit Suri Announce Underworld Drama on Dawood-Rajan Split

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has announced a new collaboration with director Mohit Suri for an untitled film centered on the historical split between underworld figures Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan. Varma, who is writing the screenplay and co-producing the project, described the film as a love story set against the backdrop of Mumbai's criminal history, specifically exploring the involvement of Indian intelligence agencies in the aftermath of the 1993 serial blasts.

The project marks a significant intersection of two distinct cinematic approaches. Varma, known for his seminal contributions to the Indian crime genre with films like Satya and Company, is pairing his gritty, realistic underworld narrative style with Suri's reputation for emotionally driven storytelling, character-focused drama, and music. Varma characterized the collaboration as a mix of his own underworld expertise and Suri's flair for emotional characterization and ultra-realistic action.

In a series of social media posts, Varma offered an ambitious assessment of the project's potential, stating that he believes the film will be larger in scale than the recent spy franchise Dhurandhar and more rooted in its emotional core than his own 1998 classic, Satya. He further drew a creative analogy, suggesting that the contrast between his and Suri's styles could be compared to the hypothetical scenario of Francis Ford Coppola directing Jaws or Steven Spielberg directing The Godfather.

The film's narrative is anchored in a pivotal era of Mumbai's underworld. According to Varma, the plot revolves around the fallout between Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan, triggered by a figure named Sautya. Beyond the internal gang conflict, the screenplay will reportedly detail the role of Indian intelligence agencies in the subsequent events that followed the 1993 serial blasts. This focus suggests the film will function as a blend of organized crime drama and political-intelligence thriller.

While the announcement has generated significant interest due to its subject matter and the creative team involved, the production remains in its early stages. The makers have not yet disclosed the cast for the project. Varma is currently managing several other commitments, including the crime drama Police Company, which features Harshvardhan Rane as a character inspired by encounter specialist Daya Nayak, and the horror-comedy Police Station Mein Bhoot, which reunites him with actor Manoj Bajpayee. Mohit Suri, meanwhile, is expected to continue his work on upcoming romantic dramas following the commercial success of his previous film, Saiyaara.