"Love and War" 2026: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal in Bhansali’s Power-Packed Epic

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not unknown to making epics on Indian historical scenes. Now with “Padmaavat”, “Bajirao Mastani”, and “Gangubai Kathiawadi” already released, Bhansali returns with his next biggie titled “Love and War”.

Already much in news, the Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal starter has created considerable excitement. With its date declared as March 20, 2026, an official release will most certainly be a grand affair, especially since it falls during a sequence of important festivals. Read on to know why this is one of the decade’s biggest event movies.

A Strategically Selected Release Date

The makers have strategically released Love and War on March 20, 2026, to coincide with one of the longest holiday stretches in India. The period sees significant festivals like Ramzan, Ram Navami, and Gudi Padwa. Since these festivals go back to back, the film is sure to enjoy a long extended festive period to attract viewers en masse. In fact, the holiday stretch is one of those periods which has traditionally turned out to be beneficial for releasing movies for releasing box office films as it sets up the crowd culture.

In addition, the new date comes ahead of the actual scheduled release of the film during Christmas 2025. The change in date gives “Love and War” a better opportunity to dominate a longer holiday period and more likely attract audiences during its run.

A Creative Reunion: Bhansali and Kapoor’s Second Chance in Bollywood

One of the most interesting aspects of this release is the reunion of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ranbir Kapoor. The director and actor had earlier worked with each other on “Saawariya” (2007), which was a visually rich but box-office disaster. From then onwards, there were many rumors that Bhansali and Kapoor had had a falling out. But after nearly two decades, Bhansali and Kapoor have agreed to put aside their differences and work together again. It is this reunion that makes most fans look forward to the movie.

In contrast to “Saawariya”, Ranbir Kapoor, who had been emerging as an actor in the films he did since then-one would recall “Rockstar”, “Barfi!”, “Sanju”, and most recently “Brahmastra”-the actor, now under the expert direction of Bhansali, will once again bring on screen a performance of myriad nuances in power.

Star-Studded Trio Set to Shine: Ranbir, Alia, and Vicky Unite

This will be the first time that Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal will be acting together, and the three of them have already intensified the chatter surrounding this film.

Alia Bhatt, who has worked with Bhansali previously in the highly praised film “Gangubai Kathiawadi” (2022), will now be working under his direction and fans are eagerly looking forward to see what magic they will create this time. The act of powerful Gangubai by Bhatt was one of the best performances by her career. It is awaited that once again she will do an outstanding performance in “Love and War”.

Meanwhile, Vicky Kaushal, one of the finest actors in present-day Bollywood, makes his debut collaboration with Bhansali. Kaushal has already worked with both Kapoor and Bhatt separately earlier in varied films. For “Sanju”, he worked with Kapoor and for “Raazi”, he did it with Bhatt. He will be on screen with both for the very first time. Kaushal’s acting talent recently featured in “Sardar Udham” (2021) with him essaying the titular role of stillness and restraint that critics accorded praise to, left, right, and center. His pairing with Bhansali is surely a match made in heaven, and it would be really interesting to see how the director could shape Kaushal’s raw talent into his larger-than-life cinematic world.

A Cinematic Masterpiece in Grand Proportions

This is Sanjay Leela Bhansali-ruled cinema that is grand in vision but perfection in attention, where the voluptuous sets would be dwarfed by elaborate costumes and intricate storytelling. “Love and War” promises to be no different. After all, describing it an “epic saga” is stating the obvious since Bhansali’s films have always been a notch above the historical spectrum.

Given the cinematic oeuvre of Bhansali, this film was on the cards to explore love, sacrifice, and power all wrapped up with splendourous sequences. Whether it was those elaborate battle scenes, heart-wrenching emotional moments or perfectly crafted dance numbers, Bhansali’s films were rightly famed for throwing audiences under their spell long after the credits had rolled off.Fans have already started guessing the scale of the production as they expect it to be bigger in scale compared to Bhansali’s previous productions. With Bhansali on the director’s chair, “Love and War” is to promise a visual treat as such the director’s ability of creating those huge cinematic worlds stands way above everyone else.

Timeless Romance and Drama: Bhansali’s Impact on Indian Cinema

Bhansali’s filmography counts some of the most iconic period dramas Indian cinema has ever seen. From “Devdas” in 2002 to “Bajirao Mastani” in 2015, his films did, no doubt, run successfully at the box office but, most importantly, were also well received on the story, acting, and technical brilliance fronts.

“Love and War” is yet another intricate tapestry of love and war that Bhansali is expected to weave, much like he did the historical backdrops of “Padmaavat” and “Bajirao Mastani”. Both films have been feted with lavish set designs, powerful performances, and soulful music, and no one has any doubt that “Love and War” will continue this tradition.

A Dream Collaboration

The talk of the town since its announcement in January 2023, “Love and War” is truly the dream project that Bhansali has been nurturing over the years. Finally, it will be on the screens as Vicky Kaushal termed it an “eternal cinema dream come true,” and the excitement is absolute with the fans.

This film is also extremely important because it is to be Bhansali’s first outing with Vicky Kaushal, while this is going to be the second onscreen partnership of real-life lovers Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The heavy-duty cast along with the genius of Bhansali at the helm ensure that “Love and War” will be one of the most eagerly awaited releases of 2026.

From what can be seen so far, with an all-star cast, a genius director, and a release date during one of the most important holidays of the year, “Love and War” is looking like something none of us will ever forget. Fans of Bhansali’s earlier work and those who have always admired the performances of Kapoor, Bhatt, and Kaushal need not wait to mark their calendars for 20 March 2026. As the hope rises to a higher level of excitement, one thing is confirmed: “Love and War” promises to be no less than an epic.