On Monday, Dharma Productions formally announced that it is working on a film based on the legendary spy’s life. It has been six years since the first announcement was made about Karan Johar ’s ambitious film on Indian spymaster RN Kao , and the film finally has a release date. The film, which will showcase Kao’s contributions to India’s intelligence-building, is being co-produced by Leo Media Collective. The announcement has brought focus back on RN Kao’s illustrious life and career, which laid the foundation for India’s espionage world.
About the film on RN Kao
After the 1962 India-China War, the Indian administration was livid that its intelligence agencies failed to predict the attack. In 1968, new Prime Minister Indira Gandhi bifurcated the IB to form the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The large-scale espionage-actioner is based on the book Gentleman Spymaster by Nitin Gokhale, and the makers are scheduled to begin filming by mid-2026. The film chronicles the journey from 1955 to 1971, establishing the need for R&AW, leading to the formation of the first-ever mission in the 1971 war against Pakistan. The yet-untitled film is targeting a theatrical release on August 11, 2028, for the Independence Day weekend.
Following this, Kao was handpicked by PM Nehru to establish a separate organisation for gathering intelligence for military purposes. He became the first director of the newly formed Aviation Research Centre, which was still a part of the IB. Kao, who had helped establish the organisation, was chosen as its first chief. He spent the next nine years as the head of RAW, building the organisation from the ground up. The casting, director and other details are kept under wraps for now, but insiders confirm that an A-Lister will spearhead the project. In a statement, Karan Johar shared, “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 RAW and honour their milestone year with a solid motion picture; all of us at Dharma are so excited to get going.
Later career
Kao had unlimited access to Indira Gandhi and was considered one of her confidantes. Sometimes you can understand signs and body language. Kao had that rapport with Mrs Gandhi. He retired quietly as the new government took over. In the 80s, he was instrumental in establishing the National Security Guard (NSG) as a counterinsurgency force.
But after Indira lost the 1977 General Elections, the new government was suspicious of Kao. In 1980, when Indira Gandhi returned to power, he returned as the National Security Advisor, both to Indira and later to Rajiv Gandhi. He was also instrumental in Sikkim’s merger into the Indian Union in 1981. Kao retired from public life after 1989 and died in 2002, at the age of 83.
His longtime associate Victor Longer famously said, “Intelligence is the only government business that depends upon the spoken word.
