Love & War: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal’s epic saga to clash with Kartik Aaryan’s Naagzilla and Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya 2?

Back in 2024, Pinkvilla first reported that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is bringing Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal together for a project called Love & War. Since the announcement, excitement has been sky-high for this grand love story. Originally planned for a March 20, 2026 release, fresh updates suggest that Love & War has been shifted to hit theaters on Independence Day 2026. If everything goes smoothly, SLB’s magnum opus could lock horns at the box office with Kartik Aaryan’s Naagzilla and Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya 2.

A source told Bollywood Hungama that Love & War faced a setback due to a three-month delay in its filming schedule, naturally pushing the release date further. Since the team had to step away from their original Eid 2026 launch plans, Independence Day weekend emerged as the perfect alternative. "The next best for Sanjay Leela Bhansali is Independence Day weekend, which gels well with the film's theme of Love & War," the source said.

The portal further mentioned that while an official confirmation on the release date for the Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal starrer is still awaited, all signs currently point toward the Independence Day 2026 weekend for the big launch of this epic saga.
Earlier, Kartik Aaryan took to Instagram and unveiled the first look of him as an ‘icchadhaari naag’ (wishful serpent). in Karan Johar's Naagzilla. Sharing the first-look motion poster, he also confirmed that the film is slated for a release on August 14, 2026.

Meanwhile, earlier this January, Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films unveiled an exciting lineup, promising to expand their much-loved horror-comedy universe. Among the array of new titles and sequels was Bhediya 2, starring Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, and Abhishek Banerjee.

The film is all set to hit the theaters on Independence Day, August 14, 2026. Directed by Amar Kaushik, the film picks up the thrilling tale from the 2022 blockbuster Bhediya.

Now, if everything unfolds as expected, Love & War is poised for an epic box office face-off against Kartik Aaryan’s Naagzilla and Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya 2.

Meanwhile, Love & War is one of the most-awaited projects of 2026, with a star-studded cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, under the visionary direction of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

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