Karan Johar Sets August 2028 Release for R.N. Kao Film

Filmmaker Karan Johar has announced that his long-gestating film on Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founding head of India's external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), will arrive in cinemas on August 11, 2028.

Johar shared the release date on social media, calling Kao "The Man, The Myth, The Legend." In his posts, he described the project as the story of R&AW, its founder and the agency's first mission. He also said the film is based on Nitin Gokhale's book Gentleman Spymaster, and noted that the announcement coincided with 58 years of R&AW.

The project was first announced in January 2020, when Dharma Productions and Still and Still Media Collective revealed a collaboration on a film drawn from Gokhale's R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster. At the time, it was described as the untold story of the real-life Indian spymaster, with a focus on Kao's role in founding R&AW and his work in international espionage.

More than eight years after that initial announcement, the film now has a confirmed theatrical date. The makers have not yet announced the cast, director or other members of the creative team.

Kao (1918–2002) was an Indian intelligence officer and bureaucrat. In 1968, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed him the founding Secretary of R&AW, and he headed the agency until 1977. The film is expected to centre on the formation of R&AW, Kao's role in building the organisation and its first mission.

Johar's film is not the only project announced around Kao's life. In 2022, filmmaker Hansal Mehta was announced as creator and showrunner of an OTT series based on R K Yadav's book Mission R&AW, set to chronicle Kao's journey as the agency's first chief. There have been no significant updates on that project since its announcement.

Further details on Johar's film, including its cast and production information, are awaited.