BB Desk
After bringing stories of valour and patriotism to the big screen with Kesari, Raazi, Shershaah and Kesari: Chapter 2, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is now set to explore the extraordinary life of one of India’s most influential intelligence figures – Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founding chief of R&AW.
According to reliable sources, Dharma Productions is joining forces with Leo Media Collective for a yet-untitled large-scale theatrical feature chronicling Kao’s journey and the events that led to the creation of India’s external intelligence agency in 1968.
The film is currently in development, with the makers eyeing August 11, 2028 for its theatrical release, placing it strategically around the Independence Day weekend. The announcement comes on September 21, 2026 as the makers look ahead to commemorating six decades of R&AW and its legacy.
Speaking about the collaboration Karan Johar said, “Leo Media has painstakingly been researching and dramatising this narrative with passion for the past two years. We want this film to be a gripping story based on true facts, to pay homage to RAW and honour their milestone year with a solid motion picture. All of us at Dharma are so excited to get going.”
Based on Nitin Gokhale’s book Gentleman Spymaster, the espionage-action drama is being developed on an ambitious scale. The makers are expected to take the film on floors by mid-2027, while details about the director and principal cast are being closely guarded. Sources however indicate that a leading A-list actor is being lined up to headline the project.
The narrative is expected to span the period from 1955 to 1971, tracing the circumstances that eventually led to the establishment of R&AW, Kao’s role in shaping the agency and its first major mission during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Kao, widely recognised as a pioneering figure in Indian intelligence, played a crucial role in building the country’s external intelligence architecture and expanding its presence on the global espionage map. His professional legacy has also been acknowledged over the years by several former R&AW chiefs.
The project marks another collaboration between Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective, following their association on Bad Newz (2024) and Kesari: Chapter 2 (2025).
With an untold chapter of India’s intelligence history at its core, the R.N. Kao biopic is shaping up as one of Dharma’s most ambitious historical espionage dramas, with the Independence Day weekend of 2028 now firmly in its sights.
