6 years after first announcement, Karan Johar revives long-delayed Indian spymaster RN Kao's biopic; release date set
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Karan Johar is finally taking the story of R&AW founder Rameshwar Nath Kao to the big screen. The filmmaker has revealed the project, based on Nitin Gokhale's book R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster, will arrive in theatres in 2028. The movie was first revealed back in January 2020, when Dharma Productions revealed plans to adapt Gokhale's biography. Six years later, the project has a rollout date, although details about the cast and the movie's production are still under wraps.
Adding to this, Karan Johar’s RN Kao biopic revived after 6 years, Dharma sets Independence Day 2028 rollout. Dharma Productions is teaming up with Leo Media Collective for a big-scale theatrical feature on Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founder of India’s external intelligence agency, R&AW. The makers revealed the project on September 21, 2026, marking 58 years since the foundation of R&AW. The 2028 rollout is also expected to coincide with the agency’s 60-year milestone.
Meanwhile, In his Instagram post, he wrote, “He built the invisible…but history remembers his impact. Today marks 58 years of R&AW and we're thrilled to announce our movie on the story of RN Kao, the man who operated in the shadows & brought to light an institution we know today as R&AW - and its first mission. Based on the book Gentleman Spymaster by Nitin Gokhale, his story comes alive on big screens on 11 August, 2028”.
Notably, Karan Johar spoke about the project and shared in a note, “Leo media has painstakingly been researching and dramatising this narrative with passion for the past two years, we want this movie 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."
As per the latest buzz, View this post on Instagram Casting underway The makers are currently developing the project, with plans to take it on floors by mid-2026. The casting, director and other production details are being kept under wraps for now. However, insiders indicate that an A-list star will headline the movie.
In further updates, The story will span the period from 1955 to 1971, tracing the circumstances that led to the creation of R&AW and building towards the agency’s first major mission during the 1971 war with Pakistan.
On top of that, Rameshwar Nath Kao was the first chief of R&AW, serving from 1969 to 1977. He played a key role in building India’s external intelligence machinery and is widely regarded as one of the country’s pioneering intelligence officers.
Before taking charge of R&AW, Kao served as the head of the Intelligence Bureau’s Aviation Research Centre and had worked closely with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He was also involved in several sensitive intelligence operations and played a significant role in the events surrounding the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Source: Hindustan Times