Who Was R.N. Kao? Inside the Life of India’s First R&AW Chief Who Worked With Indira Gandhi and Inspired Karan Johar’s Upcoming Film

Karan Johar is bringing the extraordinary life of Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founding chief of India’s external intelligence agency, to the big screen. Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective have revived the long-awaited biographical project, which is scheduled for a theatrical release on August 11, 2028.

Six years after Dharma Productions first announced plans to adapt Nitin Gokhale’s book R.N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster, the film is moving forward as a major project centred on one of India’s most influential intelligence officers.

The yet-untitled film will explore the life and work of Rameshwar Nath Kao, widely known as R.N. Kao, who founded and became the first chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). His career, marked by discretion and service at the highest levels of national security, offers a compelling subject for a big-screen biographical drama.

Who Was R.N. Kao?

Rameshwar Nath Kao was a pioneering Indian intelligence officer who played a defining role in shaping the country’s external intelligence apparatus. As the founding chief of R&AW, he helped establish an organisation tasked with gathering foreign intelligence and supporting India’s national security interests.

Kao was known for maintaining a low public profile, even as he worked at the centre of some of India’s most consequential security and geopolitical developments. His reputation as a discreet and methodical intelligence professional earned him a lasting place in India’s intelligence history.

R.N. Kao and the Formation of R&AW

The Research and Analysis Wing was established in 1968 as India’s dedicated external intelligence agency. Kao became its first chief and was instrumental in building the organisation’s structure, capabilities and operational culture.

His leadership helped shape the agency during its formative years, when intelligence gathering and strategic assessment were increasingly important to India’s regional and international security concerns.