Ram Gopal Varma has announced his next project, Police Station Mein Bhoot, a horror-comedy starring National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee. This marks their first collaboration in the genre and their reunion after cult classics like Satya and Kaun. While Varma has previously directed horror films such as Raat, Deyyam, Bhoot, and Phoonk, this will be his first foray into horror-comedy - a genre that has become a popular playground for filmmakers following the success of Stree and the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchises. Likewise, this will also be Manoj Bajpayee’s first time starring in a horror-comedy. Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Comeback’ Promise: From ‘Satya’ to ‘Rangeela’, 7 Iconic Movies of Maverick Director in Bollywood and Where To Watch Them Online.

Varma has shared a barebones plotline for Police Station Mein Bhoot, which comes with the tagline: "We run to the police when scared, but where will the police run to when they get scared?" Amusingly enough, Varma might already have the answer - one of the segments in his horror anthology Darna Zaroori Hai featured a ghost haunting a police station.

He described Police Station Mein Bhoot as "a fun-filled film that will terrify you," promising cutting-edge VFX mixed with spine-chilling horror elements.

Ram Gopal Varma's 'Police Station Mein Bhoot'

After SATYA, KAUN and SHOOL I am thrilled to announce , me and @BajpayeeManoj are once again teaming up for a HORROR COMEDY a genre which neither of us did

I have done horror , gangster, romantic , political dramas , adventure capers, thrillers etc but never a HORROR COMEDY…

— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) April 9, 2025

In his social media post announcing the film, Varma highlighted his reunion with Bajpayee after Satya, Kaun, and Shool. However, their collaborative history is richer than that. While Shool was directed by E Niwas and only produced by Varma, the filmmaker has actually directed Bajpayee in five films. And there’s one striking connection among all those characters—which we’ll get to shortly.

Daud

In this 1997 comic thriller starring Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar, Bajpayee played a conscientious henchman to the main villain (memorably portrayed by Paresh Rawal). Though it was a supporting role, Bajpayee made enough of an impression for RGV to cast him in his next project - a film that not only became a milestone in Indian cinema but also catapulted Bajpayee to stardom.

Satya

This 1998 masterpiece is widely considered one of the finest gangster dramas in Indian cinema. While Bajpayee played a supporting character, his portrayal of Bhiku Mhatre became the soul of the film, overshadowing even the titular hero played by JD Chakravarthy. Mhatre’s iconic line - "Mumbai ka raja kaun? Bhiku Mhatre" - cemented Bajpayee’s status as a powerful screen presence.

Kaun

Varma followed up with Kaun, an experimental thriller featuring just three characters in a single location. The film became another cult classic. Bajpayee’s performance as the unpredictable, mysterious stranger—who may or may not be a serial killer (though by now, we all know the answer)—was particularly well-received. ‘Syndicate’: Ram Gopal Varma Announces Title of His Ambitious Crime Thriller, Says Film Will Wash Away All His ‘Cinema Sins’.

Prema Katha 

Varma didn’t just direct Bajpayee in Hindi. The actor played the main antagonist in the 1999 Telugu romantic drama Prema Katha, which starred Sumanth and Antara Mali in their debut lead roles. It was Bajpayee’s first film outside Bollywood and was produced by Telugu star Nagarjuna Akkineni.

Sarkar 3

Unfortunately, due to reported ego clashes, Bajpayee and Varma had a falling out a couple of years post-Prema Katha. They didn’t work together for 15 years until Sarkar 3 - sadly one of Varma’s least impressive films. Bajpayee had a glorified cameo as a doomed politician who, curiously, bore a strong resemblance in behaviour and appearance to Delhi CM and AAP founder Arvind Kejriwal.

Now, if you look back at all the films where Bajpayee was directed by RGV, do you notice a pattern? No? Here’s the twist - in every single one of them, his character dies. Whether he’s a gangster, henchman, stranger, or politician, he never makes it to the end credits.

Let’s hope Police Station Mein Bhoot finally breaks this grisly tradition.

PS - Apart from the aforementioned titles, Bajpayee has also starred in films where Varma served as a producer - Shool (directed by E Niwas) and Road (directed by Rajat Mukherjee).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 10, 2025 08:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).