Karan Johar announces film on R&AW founder R.N. Kao for 2028

• Filmmaker Karan Johar announced a biopic on Rameshwar Nath Kao (R.N. Kao), founder of India’s external intelligence agency R&AW.
• The announcement coincides with R&AW’s 58th anniversary on September 21, 2026.
• Produced by Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective, the project adapts Nitin Gokhale’s 2019 book R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster.
• The narrative spans 1955 to 1971, charting R&AW’s creation and intelligence operations during the Bangladesh liberation period.
• The theatrical release is scheduled for August 11, 2028; director and cast details remain unannounced.

Filmmaker Karan Johar has announced a biographical feature film chronicling Rameshwar Nath Kao, founding chief of India’s external intelligence agency R&AW, slated for a theatrical release on August 11, 2028.

Announced on September 21, 2026—marking R&AW’s 58th anniversary—the yet-to-be-titled project is backed by Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective. Cast and directorial assignments remain unconfirmed.

Production Scope and Source Material

Adapted from Nitin Gokhale’s 2019 biography R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster, the screenplay covers 1955 through 1971. The timeline captures Kao’s overseas intelligence postings (including Ghana and handling China-linked assignments), his transition from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and the establishment of R&AW in September 1968 under then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Historical focus centers on pre-1971 Indo-Pak war intelligence operations, coordination with the Mukti Bahini in East Pakistan, and November 1971 disclosures regarding Pakistani strike plans relayed via senior officer K. Sankaran Nair to leadership ahead of Operation Chengiz Khan.

Background on R.N. Kao

Born in Benares in 1918 and educated at Lucknow and Allahabad universities, Kao joined the Indian Imperial Police in 1940 via the Civil Services examination. Following post-Independence security duties under Jawaharlal Nehru, shortcomings exposed by the 1962 Sino-Indian War led him to head the Aviation Research Centre before building R&AW with an initial cadre of roughly 250 personnel.

Kao led R&AW until 1977, returned as security adviser to Indira and Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s (contributing to National Security Guard establishment), and passed away in 2002 at age 83. The government memorializes him via the annual R.N. Kao Memorial Lecture, most recently delivered on May 15, 2026, by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

What Happens Next

Cast and director announcements are pending from Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective ahead of the film’s scheduled August 11, 2028 theatrical release.