One Battle After Another is gearing up to become the next big thing in cinemas! Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, written, directed, and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Academy Award and BAFTA winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti, the film brings along a father-daughter story like no other. 

Revealing exclusively to Pinkvilla, lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio spoke about joining forces with the legendary Benicio Del Toro and how the latter allowed it to be an enjoyable experience for him. The American star likened him to Obi-Wan Kenobi of the film, raising excitement for what awaits the viewers in the movie. “I’ve always wanted to work with Benicio [Del Toro]. He had a unique vision for what he wanted this Sensei character to be,” he said, dishing about the character of Sensei Sergio that the Puerto Rican star plays. 

Delving into the details of how his years of wisdom allowed the actor to bring a more nuanced portrayal. “He just brought a truth to who this man was, and he was firm in his belief of what he would and wouldn’t do, which created this amazing camaraderie between these two men.”

Talking about the dynamic shared between his own character, Bob Ferguson, and that of Sensei Sergio, he revealed, “They are somewhat friendly, they know each other by way of Bob’s daughter, when they are propelled into a very dangerous circumstance. They share the same integral values of freedom and what is right and what is not right—he has a line that freedom means no fear, and it’s something that my character’s forgotten. Sensei is kind of Bob’s Obi-Wan Kenobi who makes him believe in himself.”

What is One Battle After Another about? 

The film follows a group of ex-revolutionaries who come together following the disappearance of one of their daughters as their arch nemesis surfaces after 16 years.

One Battle After Another will be premiering in Indian cinemas on September 26, 2025.

After the historic success of Chhaava with Vicky Kaushal, there has been a tremendous buzz on the next directorial of Laxman Utekar. Putting all the speculations to rest, Pinkvilla exclusively informed all the readers that the filmmaker is in advanced talks with Shraddha Kapoor for a female-led period film.  And now, we have exclusively learnt that Shraddha Kapoor has signed on for this Dinesh Vijan produced period saga and is all set to start shooting for the film from the month of November.

Shraddha Kapoor will be seen playing the part of a trained classical dancer in the film, tentatively titled ITA, and will be undergoing intense prep for the character. “Shraddha Kapoor is all set to play one of the most important characters from the history of Maharashtra, bringing forth the Maharashtrian culture to the national level. She will be attending several dancing workshops to learn proper skills,” revealed a source close to the development, adding further that she will also be taking some singing lessons to prep for the part.

We hear that the film will be mounted on a big scale, and is based on a novel, the details of which have been kept under wraps for now. “After Chhaava, this is another film from Laxman Utekar which celebrates the Maratha culture at a larger-than-life level. The film goes on floors in November in 2025, and will release towards the end of 2026. These are tentative timelines, and a lot depends on the pace of pre-production as the idea is to recreate the era gone by with perfection,” the source added.

The casting for other key characters is currently underway, and Laxman Utekar along with Dinesh Vijan are looking to cast strong actors from Hindi and Marathi cinema for the film. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates