THE SMOKESCREEN — A High-Voltage Political Thriller Film Project Announced
The Smokescreen is being developed using an AI-assisted production pipeline, combining human authorship with advanced tools for story development, world-building, narrative structuring, and visual pre-visualization.
RMN Stars Movies Desk
New Delhi | February 10, 2026
National award-winning journalist and mediapreneur Rakesh Raman has announced the launch of THE SMOKESCREEN, a politically charged thriller film project that reimagines the mechanics of power, elections, and manufactured nationalism through a fast-paced cinematic narrative designed for global audiences.
The Smokescreen is a work of fiction, but one rooted in documented research and real-world patterns of democratic erosion. Set in the fictional nation of The Republic of Astraea, the story follows an investigative journalist who uncovers evidence of large-scale electoral manipulation—only to find himself hunted by a regime that has captured institutions meant to protect democracy.
Unlike traditional political dramas, The Smokescreen is conceived as a high-energy, character-driven thriller, blending the investigative urgency of newsroom reporting with the pace and tension of films like The Bourne Identity and All the President’s Men. From its opening minutes, the film places the audience inside a world where elections are announced as celebrations, courts speak in rehearsed language, opposition leaders whisper their dissent, and truth itself has become a liability.
“At its core, The Smokescreen is not about one country or one leader,” Raman said. “It is about how modern power systems survive by controlling narratives, neutralizing institutions, and exhausting those who try to expose the truth. The journalist in this story is not a hero by choice—he is a target by circumstance.”
Inspired by Public-Domain Research, Told as Fiction
The film draws thematic inspiration from long-term investigative research already in the public domain, including Raman’s widely cited Smokescreen political research work examining electoral opacity, institutional capture, media narrative control, and the manufacture of nationalism as a governing strategy. While the story is fictionalized, its emotional and political logic mirrors documented realities seen across multiple democracies worldwide.
🔊 The Smokescreen Political Thriller Film: Audio Analysis
Importantly, the project avoids direct references to real countries or individuals, instead constructing a fictional ecosystem that allows audiences to recognize patterns without being told what to think.
AI-Assisted Production Pipeline
The Smokescreen is being developed using an AI-assisted production pipeline, combining human authorship with advanced tools for story development, world-building, narrative structuring, and visual pre-visualization. This approach allows the project to be designed at international scale from inception—while keeping creative control firmly in human hands.
AI is being used not as a replacement for storytelling, but as a force multiplier: accelerating research synthesis, stress-testing narrative logic, and enabling rapid iteration across screenplay, visual tone, and franchise planning.
“This is how independent creators can now think globally from day one,” Raman noted. “AI doesn’t write the conscience of the story—but it helps build the world faster and more precisely.”
A Franchise-Ready Vision
The project is envisioned as the first installment in a broader cinematic universe, with scope for sequels or serialized streaming adaptations. The opening film concludes with unresolved tensions—setting the stage for deeper exploration of insiders, compromised opposition leaders, and the personal cost of resistance in later chapters.
Early development materials include a complete narrative spine, character arcs, opening sequences, and sequel hooks, positioning The Smokescreen for discussions with production houses, co-producers, and streaming platforms.
About the Creator
Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and mediapreneur with decades of experience in investigative reporting, editorial leadership, and independent media. He is also developing Robojit and the Sand Planet, an original sci-fi adventure set on a mystic world where a young inventor and a heroic humanoid warrior battle a tyrant to restore peace.
His creative work blends investigative realism, mythology, futuristic technology, and large-scale visual storytelling designed for global film and streaming audiences. As an emerging international screenwriter and transmedia creator, his projects are gaining visibility on leading entertainment industry platforms, including IMDb and the International Screenwriters’ Association (ISA).
