Highlights:
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has started revealing the world of Love & War one character at a time, and the first two posters have already raised a bigger question: what will Vicky Kaushal look like?
Ranbir Kapoor was the first to appear on Thursday (24), followed by Alia Bhatt on Friday (25). The contrast between the two posters is striking. Ranbir is shown behind the wheel of a vintage turquoise convertible, wearing a retro hairstyle, sunglasses and a moustache. His otherwise controlled appearance is interrupted by a visibly bruised and bloodied arm.
A day later, Alia's first look moved in an entirely different direction.
She appears in a dramatic red outfit with an elaborate feathered headpiece, surrounded by stage lights. Several outlets have described the styling as retro or cabaret-inspired, although the film's makers have not officially confirmed that her character is a cabaret performer.
That difference could be the biggest clue yet.
Ranbir brings the ‘war’ into focus
The blood on Ranbir's arm immediately gives his poster a darker edge.
The vintage car and styling establish the period flavor, while the injury suggests that his character could be closely connected to the film's action or war elements. Love & War has been described as a romantic war drama, but the posters so far do not reveal exactly how the three characters are connected.
That mystery is part of what makes Vicky's reveal particularly interesting.
Alia adds the ‘love’ and glamour
Alia's poster introduces another side of the film.
Instead of the wounded, action-heavy imagery surrounding Ranbir, her first look is built around performance, glamour and Bhansali's trademark visual extravagance. The stage setting and dramatic costume create a completely different mood.
It would be easy to assume that this tells us exactly what Alia's character does, but that would go beyond what has been confirmed.
What the image does establish is that Bhansali appears to be placing his three leads in visually distinct spaces.
So what could Vicky Kaushal's look tell us?
This is where the first two reveals become useful.
If Ranbir's poster emphasizes the film's darker, conflict-driven side and Alia's focuses on its glamorous world, Vicky's first look could provide the missing visual link between the two.
It could reveal whether his character belongs more closely to the military or action side of the story, the romantic world, or another setting altogether. But at this stage, there is no confirmed information about what his poster will show.
The film has also recently undergone additional filming of its war sequences, with Ranbir, Alia and Vicky reportedly returning for reshoots.
Ranbir’s blue, Alia’s red
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s first looks from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War offer more than character reveals — their contrasting color palettes could add another layer to the film’s visual storytelling.
Ranbir appears in a blue and turquoise-toned setting, behind a vintage car with a bloodied arm. Blue can suggest distance, calm, melancholy or restraint, potentially matching the colder, more intense mood of his poster.
Alia’s reveal moves in the opposite direction. Her deep red and warm-toned look, dramatic costume and stage lights create a more passionate and theatrical atmosphere. Red is often associated with love, danger, desire and intensity.
There is no official confirmation that Bhansali deliberately assigned these meanings to the colors.
The final piece of the puzzle
The three leads have worked with one another before in different combinations. Ranbir and Alia previously starred together in Brahmāstra, while Alia and Vicky appeared together in Raazi. Love & War brings all three into Bhansali's world for the first time.
The film is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on January 21, 2027, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
For now, Ranbir has given audiences the blood, Alia has brought the glamour, and Vicky's reveal could be the clue that changes how audiences read the entire story.
