Sanjay Leela Bhansali has now completed the first round of character reveals for Love & War, and Vicky Kaushal’s poster may be the most deliberately mysterious of the three.
Unveiled on September 26, the first look shows Kaushal with a thick moustache, a visible scar on his forehead and a cigarette between his lips as he flicks open a vintage-style lighter. A second image takes the mood in a surprisingly different direction, placing him chest-deep in dark water while holding a bouquet of small flowers against the backdrop of an ornate palace-like building.
The makers introduced him with the line, “Nazrein milengi, lekin hatengi nahin!” and once again confirmed that Love & War will arrive in theaters on January 21, 2027.
Vicky’s posters mix danger with romance
The two images are more interesting together than either is on its own.
One presents Kaushal as hard, guarded and visibly battle-worn: cigarette, scar, dark clothing and an unwavering stare. The other softens that image considerably, surrounding him with flowers, water and Bhansali’s familiar architectural grandeur.
That contrast feels particularly appropriate for a film called Love & War.
It also distinguishes Kaushal from the other two leads. Ranbir Kapoor’s first poster placed him behind the wheel of a vintage car with a bloodied arm, suggesting violence or its immediate aftermath. Alia Bhatt’s reveal then shifted completely into stage lights, feathers and retro cabaret glamour. Kaushal now appears to sit somewhere between those two visual worlds—carrying the physical damage associated with the “war” side while also being presented through overtly romantic imagery.
That does not confirm exactly who he is playing.
Reports have long suggested that Kaushal and Kapoor portray military officers involved in a love triangle with Bhatt’s character, but Bhansali Productions has still revealed very little officially about the film’s plot or character names. India Today similarly notes that the military-officer details remain part of earlier reporting rather than the current official poster campaign.
Love & War marks Vicky Kaushal’s first Bhansali film
For Kaushal, the project represents a first.
Unlike Kapoor and Bhatt, he has never previously starred in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali feature. Kapoor made his leading-man debut in Bhansali’s Saawariya in 2007, while Bhatt won major acclaim for their 2022 collaboration Gangubai Kathiawadi.
Kaushal does, however, already have screen history with both of his co-stars. He appeared opposite Bhatt in Raazi and shared the screen with Kapoor in Sanju. Love & War brings all three together in the same film for the first time.
That existing history should make the central relationship particularly interesting if the long-reported love-triangle structure proves accurate.
The three posters are finally revealing Bhansali’s visual strategy
The first-look rollout has been unusually coordinated.
Kapoor arrived first with bruises and a vintage automobile. Bhatt followed with a theatrical red performance costume and feathered headgear. Kaushal now brings cigarettes, scars, flowers and old-world architecture.
None of the posters explains the story outright, but together they establish a period world built around very different forms of desire and conflict.
The movie itself has taken a longer road to theaters. It was previously dated for earlier release windows before settling on January 21, 2027, placing it just ahead of India’s Republic Day holiday period.
For now, Bhansali seems more interested in introducing personalities than plot.
Ranbir Kapoor’s character looks like he has already been through a fight. Alia Bhatt commands a stage. Vicky Kaushal appears caught somewhere between menace and romance.
The next trailer will have to tell us how those three worlds collide.
