Ranbir Kapoor sits behind the wheel of a vintage convertible with a bullet wound in the first look from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Love & War,” released as the film wraps production and confirms a Jan. 21, 2027 theatrical date.
The image shows Kapoor in sunglasses and a white knit shirt, hair slicked back, a thin mustache above his lip. Blood runs from his shoulder to his wrist and spatters the car door. A gold watch rests on the injured arm. Bhansali Productions posted the image alongside the release date, and Kapoor’s co-star and wife, Alia Bhatt, reacted on Instagram with a brief “SLB x RK.”
The film reunites Kapoor with the director who launched him. He made his acting debut in Bhansali’s 2007 Dostoevsky adaptation “Saawariya,” which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Nearly two decades on, the makers describe the role as a new screen persona for the actor. Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal complete the lead trio. Bhatt worked with Bhansali on “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” while Kaushal has never made a film with him. Kaushal delivered 2025’s biggest Bollywood hit with “Chhaava,” and Kapoor’s last big-screen outing, “Animal,” ranked among 2023’s top earners in India.
Production ran close to two years, and the unit gave Bhansali an emotional farewell as cameras stopped. Kapoor described the experience in a March 2025 interview as “every actor’s dream,” citing his co-stars and the director. Bhatt said at the time that the cast shoots at night, which lets her and Kapoor spend days with their daughter.
The film’s road to theatres has been uneven. Bhansali announced it in January 2024, and earlier reports pointed to a Christmas 2025 debut. Later listings named March and August 2026 before the current date landed. Speculation about the three leads and how their characters connect has followed the project since its unveiling. Reports have suggested it pays tribute to Raj Kapoor’s “Sangam,” though the makers have not confirmed that.
Bhansali’s record raises expectations. He built his reputation on lavish period dramas including “Devdas,” “Bajirao Mastani” and “Padmaavat,” and extended it to streaming with the Netflix series “Heeramandi.”
