It’s a Difficult One: Sanjay Leela Bhansali on His Next Film ‘Love & War’

The man behind some of Hindi cinema’s most opulent period dramas, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is now working on a contemporary film. Love & War, expected to release in 2026, has “no pillars, no costumes, no horses; it's different,” he says. Starring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal, the film was initially slated to release in December 2025, but has since been pushed to March 2026. However, little is known about the movie besides the potential love triangle.

At the first edition of THR Talks, Anupama Chopra, Editor of The Hollywood Reporter India, asked the filmmaker what he can reveal about Love & War.

“Do you want to hear the story?” asked Bhansali with a laugh. Without giving away any spoilers, he addressed the many Internet theories about Love & War being a remake of Raj Kapoor’s iconic film, Sangam (1964).

“Not at all,” he said. “I love Sangam. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) is also like Sangam, where I tried to make Aishwarya Rai [Bachchan] into Vyjayanthimala, who’s the most beautiful woman on the Indian screen, according to me.”

But, he later realised that nobody had ever envisioned Vyjayanthimala, or for that matter Zeenat Aman or Padmini Kolhapure, as beautifully as Raj Kapoor had done.

Bhansali loves studying the mannerisms of the people he spends time with, and wishes he could’ve done so with some people from the past whom he admires. “I wish I had met him [Raj Kapoor] for five minutes. But [considering] all my love for Raj Kapoor, you never remake a great director’s classic.” After all, how does one remake cult classics like Mughal-E-Azam (1960) or Pakeezah (1972)? “Heeramandi (2024) was a tribute to Pakeezah; of my love for [director] Kamal Amrohi. He knew what beauty was, what life was.”

“Those are the great people whose films you cannot remake. So why would I remake Sangam?” he asks.

While Bhansali was careful not to let any details slip, he did mention that Love & War is a film that he’s very excited about. “I'm working with Ranbir [Kapoor] after 18 years and I can't stop working with Alia [Bhatt] because there's still so much [potential] to tap into; The chota-packet-bada-dhamaka girl that she is. I’m also working with Vicky Kaushal for the first time. But besides being wonderful actors, they're wonderful people.”

At that point in the conversation, an audience member voiced their disappointment over Ranbir not starring in a film until 2026. “Well, you should ask Ranbir that,” Bhansali replied. But reflecting on the uphill journey, he said, “It’s a very important film in my life, and I’m raring to go. But, it’s also a difficult one for me, so I’ll take a little time, my friend, to make it properly; not take myself or my great actors for granted. There’s a lot of responsibility, so we have to do it well.”