Mumbai, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A feature film based on Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founder of India’s external intelligence agency R&AW, is set to hit theatres on August 11, 2028, with Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective collaborating on the project.
The yet-untitled espionage-action film is currently in development and is being planned as a major theatrical release during the Independence Day weekend. The announcement was made on September 21, marking 58 years since the establishment of R&AW, with the 2028 release planned as part of an effort to honour the agency’s six-decade legacy.
The project marks another attempt by filmmaker and producer Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions to bring the stories of lesser-known figures and events to the big screen, following films such as Kesari, Raazi, Shershaah and Kesari: Chapter 2.
Karan Johar said Leo Media Collective had been researching and developing the story for the past two years.
“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,” he said.
Based on Nitin Gokhale’s book Gentleman Spymaster, the film will chronicle the period from 1955 to 1971, tracing the circumstances that led to the need for a dedicated external intelligence agency, the formation of R&AW in 1968 and its first major mission during the 1971 war with Pakistan.
R.N. Kao is regarded as a pioneering figure in Indian intelligence and played a key role in establishing the country’s external intelligence apparatus on the global stage.
The makers have kept details regarding the director, cast and other members of the creative team under wraps. The project is being developed as a large-scale theatrical espionage-action film.
The collaboration also marks a reunion between Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective following their work on Bad Newz and Kesari: Chapter 2.
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