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Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is set to bring the story of Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founder and first chief of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), to the big screen. The yet-untitled feature film is being made in association with Leo Media Collective and is scheduled for a theatrical release on August 11, 2028.
The announcement was made on September 21, 2026, marking 58 years since the establishment of R&AW. The film is being planned as part of the celebrations around the agency’s 60-year legacy in 2028, with its release falling during the Independence Day weekend, PTI reported from Mumbai.
The project, which is currently in development, will be based on journalist and strategic affairs analyst Nitin Gokhale’s 2019 book ‘R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster’. The story will trace Kao’s journey from 1955 to 1971, covering the events that led to the formation of R&AW and its first major mission during the 1971 war.
Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective have previously collaborated on ‘Bad Newz’ and ‘Kesari: Chapter 2’. The makers have so far kept details about the cast and director under wraps.
Johar said Leo Media had been researching and dramatising the story for the past two years, adding that the team wanted to create a gripping film based on true events while paying homage to R&AW and marking its milestone year.
Kao became the founding chief of R&AW when the agency was established in 1968, after having earlier served in the Intelligence Bureau. The film will focus on the period surrounding the creation of the organisation and the early intelligence operations associated with its formation.
The announcement also marks the revival of a project that was first announced several years ago. Dharma Productions had previously announced a collaboration around a film on Kao in 2020, and the project has now received a confirmed theatrical release date.
With the film currently in development, further details, including the title, director and cast, are awaited. The theatrical release is locked for August 11, 2026.
