Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s highly anticipated project Love and War is already generating buzz ahead of its shoot. Featuring a stellar cast of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, the film is set to begin production on October 24, according to recent reports. Previously, Pinkvilla had exclusively reported that the film’s shoot is scheduled to kick off next month.

A source from the industry told Bollywood Hungama that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is set to start filming Love and War next month. The excitement surrounding this project has been growing, particularly after Heeramandi, with its intriguing title and the star-studded cast of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal keeping it in the spotlight. The shoot is scheduled to begin on October 24. The source said, “The movie will finally go on floors from October 24 and that will mark the beginning of the first schedule.”

Earlier, sources close to the development told Pinkvilla that Love and War will be independently produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, without any studio collaboration. “SLB has decided to self-finance Love And War, opting for the model followed by studios like YRF and Red Chillies. Even before the film going on floors, he has signed a massive post-theatrical deal with Netflix, and a near-record music deal with Saregama,” said the source. 

The source also mentioned that the initial agreement with Netflix is set at Rs 130 crore, with potential for a higher payout based on box office results. Also, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has secured a Rs 35 crore music deal with Saregama, while discussions are ongoing for a satellite rights deal with a major network, estimated at around Rs 50 crore as per the source. 

Love And War is now set for a theatrical release on March 20, 2026, aligning with major festivals like Ramzan, Ram Navami, and Gudi Padwa, which should boost its box office potential. The film was initially planned for a Christmas 2025 release but has been rescheduled. 

This marks Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first collaboration with Vicky Kaushal, while he has previously worked with Alia Bhatt in Gangubai Kathiawadi and with Ranbir Kapoor in his debut film Saawariya. Love And War will also see Vicky Kaushal reuniting with Ranbir Kapoor after their successful collaboration in the 2018 biopic Sanju and with Alia Bhatt, with whom he shared the screen in Raazi the same year.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s most recent directorial venture was the Netflix series Heeramandi, which became a major hit. The series featured a star-studded cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Taha Shah Badussha, Adhyayan Suman, Shekhar Suman, and Fardeen Khan.

While being an actor or a public figure is not easy, there are a lot of perks to being a celebrity. Besides money and fame,  actors are often considered literally ‘gods’ by their fans and well-wishers. The love and admiration that they get from their audience is unbelievable. On a similar note, a rather surprising incident from Andhra Pradesh has surfaced where a patient watched Jr NTR’s film while undergoing brain surgery. Check out the pictures below!