All roads lead to Film City on Thursday. Bollywood’s mercurial filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s historic saga Love and War goes on the floors with Ranbir Kapoor facing the camera first. Bhansali, whose last stint behind the camera was for Netflix’s Heeramandi in May, is working on a big theatrical release after his Gangubai Kathiawadi in February 2022. Love and War, in which he has cast Alia Bhatt opposite Ranbir and added Vicky Kaushal for the intrigue and drama, is a love triangle set against the backdrop of war.

Thursday will see Bhansali shoot a scene involving 50 soldiers and Ranbir. Vicky will join the shoot next week. While Alia will start in December after wrapping up YRF’s Spy Universe action thriller Alpha in which she plays a female super-agent with Sharvari. Bhansali is said to have given his three leads complex characters in Love and War. Of them, PeepingMoon.com had reported in April that Alia plays a jazz singer. The actress will lend her bold and carrying voice to the film after singing for Jigra, Highway, and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.

While some media reports suggested Love and War pays homage to the 1964 Raj Kapoor, Vyjanthimala and Rajendra Kumar musical romantic drama Sangam, Bhansali was quick to defend his film, saying, “It's not Sangam at all. With all due respect and my love for Raj Kapoor, you never re-make a great man, a great director's classic.” PeepingMoon.com had further learned that Love and War delves into themes of love, loyalty, sacrifice, and the repercussions of relationship decisions.

Bhansali has worked with Ranbir and Alia on Saawariya and Gangubai Kathiawadi respectively. Vicky joins him for the first time. But Vicky has shared screen space with Ranbir in Sanju (playing his best friend) and with Alia in Raazi where he portrays her husband and a Pakistani army officer. On the other hand, this will be Ranbir’s and Alia’s second film together after the action fantasy Brahmastra: Part 1 Shiva. Love and War, which was slated for a Christmas 2025 release, is now pushed to March 25, 2026, as a Ramazan, Ram Navami and Gudi Padwa release.