Close on the heels of the announcement of the release date of Mumbai Saga, Ram Gopal Varma revealed that his passion project, D Company will hit theatres only a week later. Sources close to the filmmaker say Varma intends to cut into the audience of Sanjay Gupta’s gangster saga, which is among the lines of Varma’s offering, and also based in the 1980s.

The source says, “Apart from the fact that the film will release only a week apart, Ramu also unveiled his song, Khatam, only days before Mumbai Saga’s Danka Baja unveiled. [He has been taking to] a strategy that parallels that of Sanjay’s film to make sure that his dream project attracts the necessary eyeballs. It is likely that several real-life characters will be featured in both films.”

Varma points to the fact that both films are period films, and similarities are hence inevitable. “The subjects are similar but our interpretations as directors are different. [Gupta] has a stylised approach, and I believe in realism and characterizations. While I don’t know what Mumbai Saga showcases, D Company features real events, and real characters who have never ever been seen in cinema before. My sources are ex-gangsters who have been part of Dawood’s gang.”