Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grand romantic saga Love & War, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, is now reportedly set to hit theatres on Independence Day 2026. The film was initially scheduled for a March 20 release but faced a delay in shooting, leading to a strategic shift to the August 15 weekend.
A source revealed that the film’s production was pushed by about three months, prompting the team to step away from an Eid 2026 release plan. “The next best for Bhansali was the Independence Day weekend, which gels well with the film’s theme of Love & War,” the insider told Bollywood Hungama. An official confirmation is still awaited, but all indications point to the new date.
If this schedule holds, Love & War will be part of a major box office clash alongside Kartik Aaryan’s Naagzilla and Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya 2. Both films have already locked August 14, 2026, as their release date. Naagzilla, produced by Karan Johar, features Kartik in the role of an icchadhaari naag (shape-shifting serpent), while Bhediya 2 continues the horror-comedy universe established in the 2022 hit, Bhediya.
With three high-profile films featuring some of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Independence Day 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most explosive box office weekends in recent memory. Audiences can expect a mix of grand romance, supernatural action, and thrilling comedy — all within days of each other.
Given Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s reputation for cinematic grandeur, Love & War is already among the most anticipated releases of 2026. The star power of Ranbir, Alia, and Vicky only adds to the buzz, making the upcoming box office battle one to watch closely.