Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama Love & War, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, has faced a delay in its release. Originally slated for an Eid 2026 release, the film is now expected to release later next year. The movie’s shooting schedule is running behind schedule, with around 75 days of shooting still remaining, according to Bollywood Hungama. Bhansali has reportedly asked the lead actors to block dates until summer 2026 to complete the project. “The film is running approx. 40 days behind schedule, and the earliest it can release now is June 2026. Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Leela Bhansali will soon take a call on the film’s release and officially announce the delay in its release,” an insider told the publication. The Source also claims that the delay could be strategic as it avoids a direct box office clash with Yash’s upcoming action film Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-ups. Produced by Maddock Films, Love & War remains one of the most anticipated projects of 2026. Known for his perfectionism, Bhansali is said to be taking extra time to maintain his signature scale and visual excellence. The film was initially slated for a Christmas 2025 release, but was later pushed to March 20, 2026, to coincide with Eid. Ranbir Kapoor and Bhansali are expected to decide the final release date and make an official announcement soon. However, with the ongoing production delay, even that timeline now seems unlikely. Ranbir Kapoor on Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This is Ranbir Kapoor’s second collaboration with the unapproachable director. He made his Bollywood debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya in 2007. The movie was a Hindi musical romance based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s short story, White Nights. Saawariya was also the debut of Sonam Kapoor. It was the last screen appearance of veterans Zohra Sehgal and Begum Para. Saawariya failed miserably at the box office. Before starting his acting career, Ranbir Kapoor worked as an assistant on Bhansali’s Black. He has repeatedly said that everything he knows about acting was first taught by Bhansali, whom he calls his “godfather”. According to Ranbir, Bhansali shaped his craft, discipline and dedication to cinema. He described the filmmaker as a “hard taskmaster” who constantly pushed his actors to perform beyond their limits. However, Ranbir admitted that working with Bhansali was emotionally and physically demanding. But now he feels grateful for those experiences.