Filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta has officially confirmed that his ambitious biopic on Indian spy Ravindra Kaushik, which was once set to star Salman Khan, has been shelved. In a recent interview with PTI, Gupta revealed that while talks with Salman did happen, the project was eventually dropped due to expired rights. “The rights were there with me, but then the rights expired, and I didn’t renew them,” the Raid director shared.
First reported in 2021, the biopic was to chronicle the life of Ravindra Kaushik, widely known as the Black Tiger, considered one of India’s greatest spies. Gupta had spent years researching Kaushik’s story and reportedly locked a compelling screenplay that Salman Khan had agreed to in principle.
Meanwhile, Gupta is now focused on his upcoming release, Raid 2, which hits theatres on May 1, 2025. A sequel to the 2018 hit, the film stars Ajay Devgn reprising his role as IRS officer Amay Patnaik and features Vaani Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Rajat Kapoor, and Supriya Pathak.
As for Salman Khan, he was last seen in Sikandar alongside Rashmika Mandanna and is now prepping for a film with Sanjay Dutt, reportedly titled Ganga Ram.
