Actor Harshvardhan Rane is going to play the character of Daya Nayak in his next directed by Ram Gopal Varma. Ask him what's it like to be on the sets of his movie, and Harshvardhan says, "Being on Ramu sir’s set feels like entering the mind of someone who has already seen the scene from ten different angles. He is not interested in making you 'perform' he watches behaviour, instinct and the smallest reactions. That keeps you alert because anything false is immediately visible to him. There is freedom on his set, but that freedom also demands complete honesty."

He goes on to admit being a fan of Varma's work, and shares, "Working with him was something I had quietly hoped for. But when it finally happened, I tried not to approach it like a fan fulfilling a dream. I approached it like an actor who had been given a serious responsibility—and wanted to earn his director’s trust every day."

He adds, "Films like Shiva, Satya and Company didn’t just entertain us; they changed the grammar of Indian crime cinema. Ramu sir made silence, fear and unpredictability feel cinematic."

On playing the cop Daya Nayak, Rane states he wanted to understand the character internally. "I studied the facts, listened to Daya sir, understood Ramu sir’s interpretation—and then tried to find my own honest version of him," he adds.

Harshvardhan Rane began his acting career with television before making his Telugu film debut with Thakita Thakita (2010). He went on to feature in films including Naa Ishtam, Avunu, Prema Ishq Kaadhal, Maaya and Avunu 2, before making his Hindi breakthrough with Sanam Teri Kasam (2016). His subsequent work includes Paltan, Taish, Haseen Dillruba, Tara vs Bilal, Dange, Savi, The Miranda Brothers and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat.