Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective are teaming up to make a feature film on the life of Research and Analysis Wing’s (R&AW) founder and first chief Rameshwar Nath Kao. The yet-to-be-titled film will be based on the 2019 book Gentleman Spymaster by Nitin Gokhale.

Making the announcement on Instagram on Monday, Dharma Productions shared a video and captioned it, “He built the invisible…but history remembers his impact. Today marks 58 years of R&AW and we’re thrilled to announce our film 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.”

The film chronicles the journey from 1955 to 1971, establishing the need for R&AW, leading to the formation and the first ever mission in the 1971 war against Pakistan.

Presently in the development stage, the film is looking at a theatrical release on August 11, 2028, which coincides with the Independence Day weekend. The makers have announced the film today - September 21, 2026 - which marks the 58 years since the foundation of R&AW, with a theatrical release aimed in 2028 to honour the 60-year legacy of India’s external intelligence agency.

Speaking about it, Dharma Productions head and filmmaker 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 R&AW and honour their milestone year with a solid motion picture … all of us at Dharma are so excited to get going."

The makers are scheduled to take the film on floors by mid-2026. The casting, director and other details are kept under wraps for now.

The film will mark the reunion of Dharma Productions with Leo Media Collective after the Bad Newz (2024) and Kesari: Chapter 2 (2025).