Alia Bhatt’s Stunning ‘Love & War’ First Look Is Pure Retro Glamour, Zeenat Aman Calls Her A “Showgirl”
Alia Bhatt transformed into a dazzling retro showgirl in her fiery first look from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love & War’.
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The highly anticipated period romantic war drama ‘Love & War’ is officially heating up. Just a day after the internet was set ablaze by Ranbir Kapoor’s rugged character reveal on September 24, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has unveiled the breathtaking first look of Alia Bhatt. Stepping away from her previous roles, Alia took centre stage in a fierce, retro cabaret dancer persona that perfectly evoked the aesthetic of classic 1960s and 1970s cabaret songs. The newly released posters dropped audiences straight into Bhansali's signature grand visual style, characterized by deep red and gold colours, dramatic lighting, and a smoky background.
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In the first striking close-up, Alia can be seen wearing a dramatic magenta-red crop top and a skirt featuring a thigh-high slit, radiating pure vintage glamour. She captioned the image, "Reunited" followed by "Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War. January 21, 2027. See you at the movies. #LoveAndWar".
Check out the poster here:
The look drew immediate fiery reactions from her family and peers. Her mother-in-law, Neetu Kapoor, commented, "Ufffffff again", while actress Bhumi Pednekar simply dropped a fire emoji.
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A second, wide-angle poster showcased the full scale of the opulent stage setting, complete with a reflective floor and an elaborate sparkling ceiling installation. Multiple spotlights shined down on Alia Bhatt as she posed in her red sequin co-ord set and a dramatic red feathered headdress, flanked by background dancers. Alia captioned this grand reveal, "Crafted by the one and only Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Love & War 21.01.2027 #LoveAndWar". The spectacular imagery caught the eye of original Bollywood diva Zeenat Aman, who affectionately commented, "Well, well...SLB has unleashed a showgirl!". Actresses Aditi Rao Hydari and Sophie Choudry also flooded the comments with enthusiastic fiery emojis.
The official Bhansali Productions handle summarized the fiery vibe with their caption: “Aag bhi, dilon ki jaan bhi! Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War on 21st January 2027. See you at the movies!”
Alia Bhatt’s dazzling reveal provided a stark contrast to Ranbir Kapoor’s intense first look. Unveiled on Thursday, Ranbir’s poster featured him in an understated white T-shirt, glasses, and a short buzz cut, seated in the driver's seat of a vintage turquoise sports car. While his right hand gripped the steering wheel, his left arm hung outside the vehicle, visibly bruised, bloodied, and bearing a bullet wound.
Expected to become the most expensive film of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's career, ‘Love & War’ marks the first time Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal will share the screen in an SLB production. Written by Sanjay and Ila Bedi Dutta, the film is described as a period romantic war drama. Reports suggest that Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal play strong-willed Indian Air Force officers whose lives intersect with Alia Bhatt’s character, creating a dramatic love triangle set against the backdrop of war. Supriya Pathak also stars in a key role.
The project is a major professional reunion for everyone involved. It brings Ranbir Kapoor back under Bhansali's direction nearly two decades after his 2007 debut in ‘Saawariya’. It is Alia Bhatt’s second outing with the director following 2022's ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, a performance that earned her the National Award for Best Actress. The male leads, Ranbir and Vicky, previously shared the screen in Rajkumar Hirani's ‘Sanju’ (2018), while Alia and Vicky starred together in Meghna Gulzar's ‘Raazi’ (2018).
‘Love & War’ also marks another major on-screen collaboration for the real-life couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, who previously starred together in Ayan Mukerji's ‘Brahmastra’ (2022). The couple famously began dating during the filming of ‘Brahmastra’, got married in April 2022, and welcomed their daughter, Raha Kapoor, in November of that year. While ‘Brahmastra’ was designed as a trilogy and ended on a cliffhanger, there has been no concrete conversation around a sequel so far.
For Alia, this high-profile project comes at a crucial time at the box office. Her most recent theatrical release in 2026, YRF's ‘Alpha’ tanked at the box office. She had no releases in 2025, and her 2024 outing, ‘Jigra’, also failed to work in theatres. Her last major cinematic hit was Karan Johar's ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ in 2023, where she starred opposite Ranveer Singh.
The shoot for ‘Love & War’ has concluded, wrapping up recently with an emotional farewell between Bhansali and the entire unit. The filmmaker is now turning his focus entirely to post-production work. After going through release plan changes and being postponed twice, ‘Love & War’ is now firmly locked in for a worldwide theatrical release on January 21, 2027, and will be released simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
