Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is heading deeper into the espionage space with a film about a man whose career was built around staying out of public view. The studio has joined hands with Leo Media Collective for a large-scale theatrical feature based on Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founder and first chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, better known as R&AW. The still-untitled espionage drama has been scheduled for August 11, 2028, placing it directly in the Independence Day holiday window. The announcement was made on September 21, 2026, exactly 58 years after R&AW was established, while the planned release year will coincide with the intelligence agency completing six decades.
Rather than covering Kao’s entire life as a conventional biography, the makers are concentrating on a crucial 16-year period between 1955 and 1971. The film is expected to explore the circumstances that created the need for a separate foreign intelligence organisation, the formation of R&AW in 1968 and the agency’s early role around the 1971 India-Pakistan war. That gives the project a natural espionage-thriller structure instead of requiring it to move chronologically through every phase of Kao’s life. The story is being adapted from journalist and national security analyst Nitin A. Gokhale’s nonfiction book R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster.
Dharma Returns to a Project First Announced Years Ago
The RN Kao film is not an entirely new idea for Dharma Productions. Karan Johar first announced an adaptation of Gokhale’s book in early 2020, when the project was described as the story of the man who helped build India’s external intelligence structure and later became an influential figure in international espionage circles. The new announcement gives that long-developing project something it did not previously have: a firm theatrical target and a clearer period in Kao’s career that the screenplay intends to cover. Although a recent report says an A-list actor is attached to lead the film, Dharma has not officially revealed the actor’s identity, director or complete creative team.
Johar said of the preparation behind the film, “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 R&AW and honour their milestone year with a solid motion picture … all of us at Dharma are so excited to get going.” That comment suggests the filmmakers are trying to balance the requirements of a mainstream espionage movie with a narrative rooted in documented events. The Hollywood Reporter India says the project is expected to begin filming during 2026, although a precise production-start date has not yet been formally announced. Some reports repeat an earlier “mid-2026” production timeline, but that wording is inconsistent with the September announcement date, making the broader “this year” timeframe the safer description at present.
The project will also reunite Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective after their collaborations on Bad Newz and Kesari: Chapter 2. It fits comfortably alongside Dharma’s continuing interest in stories drawn from Indian military, intelligence and historical events, which has previously produced films including Raazi, Kesari and Shershaah. That does not necessarily indicate that the Kao film will follow the tone of those titles, since its 1955-1971 setting opens the door to a much more procedural intelligence story. The involvement of R&AW’s formative years could allow the film to focus as much on building an institution and intelligence network as on conventional action sequences.
Why RN Kao Gives the Film More Than a Spy-Movie Hook
Rameshwar Nath Kao occupies an unusual position for a major Hindi film subject because his influence is far greater than his public profile. R&AW was established in 1968 after India’s external intelligence responsibilities had previously been handled within the Intelligence Bureau, and Kao became its founding chief under the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His career was closely connected with the development of India’s modern intelligence framework, while accounts of his professional life repeatedly describe him as intensely private and more interested in institutions than personal recognition. The movie’s decision to begin in 1955 therefore gives it room to show the events and intelligence experience that preceded R&AW rather than introducing Kao only after the organisation already existed.
The 1971 endpoint is equally important because it places the climax of the planned story around one of the most consequential periods in modern South Asian history. The makers say the film will include R&AW’s first mission during the 1971 conflict with Pakistan, which ultimately resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. That makes the film’s time period unusually focused for a biographical drama: audiences would meet Kao years before R&AW existed and follow the story until the newly created organisation faced its first major geopolitical test. It also explains why the filmmakers are describing the project as an espionage action film rather than simply using the more traditional “biopic” label.
Kao’s legacy extended beyond R&AW as well. The Hollywood Reporter India notes that he was involved in creating the Aviation Research Centre and later played a role in establishing the National Security Guard, further showing why his story covers more territory than the founding of a single agency. A fictionalised version of Kao also appeared in Netflix’s 2025 espionage series Saare Jahan Se Accha, where Rajat Kapoor portrayed the intelligence figure. Dharma’s film, however, is being developed directly from Gokhale’s nonfiction book and is intended to place Kao himself at the centre of the narrative rather than using him as a supporting historical character.
Why the August 2028 Release Date Matters
August 11, 2028 is more than a commercially attractive holiday release date. It places the film four days before Independence Day and in the same year that marks the 60th anniversary of R&AW, giving Dharma and Leo Media Collective a clear historical frame for the marketing campaign. The September 21, 2026 announcement followed the same approach, arriving on R&AW’s 58th foundation anniversary rather than on an unrelated entertainment-industry date. That deliberate timing shows that the agency’s history is being used as part of the film’s identity from the very beginning of its rollout.
There are still several pieces missing before the project becomes fully visible to audiences. No director has been publicly named, the lead actor remains officially undisclosed, and Dharma has yet to reveal the film’s title or first look. Those announcements are likely to determine whether the movie is positioned primarily as a character-driven portrait of Kao, a historical intelligence thriller or a larger action spectacle built around R&AW’s formative years. What is already clear is that Dharma has given itself almost two years to develop the film toward an unusually symbolic release date, making this one of its longer-horizon theatrical projects currently on the calendar.
RN Kao Movie: Key Questions Answered
What is Karan Johar’s new R&AW film about?
The untitled film will tell the story of Rameshwar Nath Kao and the circumstances surrounding the creation of India’s Research and Analysis Wing. Its narrative spans 1955 to 1971, covering the years before R&AW’s establishment, its formation in 1968 and its early operations around the 1971 conflict with Pakistan. The movie is being developed as a theatrical espionage feature rather than a documentary. It is based on Nitin A. Gokhale’s book R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster.
When will the RN Kao film be released?
Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective have announced August 11, 2028 as the planned theatrical release date. The timing puts the movie in the Independence Day weekend corridor. The year is also significant because 2028 will mark 60 years since R&AW was established. The studio has therefore connected both the announcement and release strategy directly with milestones in the agency’s history.
Who will play Rameshwar Nath Kao?
Dharma Productions has not officially announced the actor playing Kao. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter India report that an A-list actor is expected to headline the project, but neither report names the performer. Until Dharma reveals the casting, speculation surrounding any particular Bollywood star should not be treated as confirmation. The director and several other major creative positions are also still under wraps.
Who was Rameshwar Nath Kao?
Kao was the founding chief of R&AW when India’s external intelligence agency was created in 1968. Before its establishment, foreign intelligence responsibilities were handled through the Intelligence Bureau. He became one of the central figures in the development of India’s post-independence intelligence infrastructure and remained known for maintaining an unusually private public profile. The upcoming film will concentrate mainly on the years that led to R&AW’s creation and its first major period of operations.
Is the film based on a book?
Yes, the screenplay is based on Nitin A. Gokhale’s R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster. The nonfiction book examines Kao’s professional life and his role in shaping India’s intelligence institutions. Dharma originally announced plans to adapt the book several years ago before formally reviving the project with its 2028 release strategy. The production has since been researching and dramatising the material for the screen.
Has Dharma Productions made spy films before?
Dharma has previously backed Raazi, which was built around an Indian intelligence operative during the period leading into the 1971 war. The studio has also produced historical and military-inspired films including Kesari, Shershaah and Kesari: Chapter 2. The RN Kao movie therefore continues an established part of Dharma’s slate while approaching the subject from the perspective of the man associated with building India’s external intelligence agency itself. Its multi-decade institutional backdrop could nevertheless make it structurally different from Dharma’s earlier films in this space.
