The promotional rollout for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Love & War" has kicked off with a curious sequence that has the film's fan base buzzing. Ranbir Kapoor's first look arrived first, Alia Bhatt's is slated to follow, and Vicky Kaushal's unveiling, according to the schedule now doing the rounds, has been placed last - an order that has sparked speculation that the "Uri" actor is less than pleased with how the campaign is being positioned around him.

The three stars headline one of the most anticipated Hindi projects in recent memory. Bhansali, known for his grand visual style and emotionally charged storytelling, is directing the romance-drama-war hybrid, which is set for a January 21, 2027 release. The movie, which is scheduled to hit screens on that date, centres on two determined Army officers whose lives become entangled with the same woman.

Sources close to the production insist the staggered rollout is purely a creative decision and nothing more. According to one insider, the reveals were planned around how the trailer's narrative builds, with the makers choosing to hold Vicky's look back as the final piece of the puzzle because his character carries important plot turns in the war portions of the story. "There's no snub here," the source is understood to have said. "The order is designed to keep the mystery alive rather than to signal anything about screen time or priority. The marketing is intended to make the audience curious about Vicky's role, not to undermine it."

Still, the actor's fan clubs and several trade observers have been quick to note that Vicky's appearance was teased in the teaser well before the character posters, which means audiences have already had a glimpse of him. In their reading, the wait for his full look is a strange move, since it delays the character that was first shown to the public.

The dates matter because the marketing of "Love & War" has been running through a period thick with anticipation. Ranbir is coming off a strong run at the box office, and his fan base has been eager to see him in a Bhansali film for the first time. Alia, who has worked with the director before on "Gangubai Kathiawadi," is returning to his set with the advantage of prior experience. For Vicky, the project marks another step into large-scale, high-stakes filmmaking after a string of intense roles.

The poster order is not the only thing being discussed. Fans have also noticed how the promotional material is leaning on the Ranbir-Alia pairing, which is natural given their real-life chemistry and the romantic triangle at the heart of the plot. But if the film is to deliver on the war element, Vicky's character will need to be central. If the marketing holds his look back too long, the risk is that the audience builds an incomplete picture of the movie.

Bhansali is known for exercising tight control over his campaigns, and his team is unlikely to be swayed by internet chatter. Yet the noise has a practical dimension. In the current trade environment, each poster drop generates a cycle of coverage, and if the order is read as an insult, the marketing team will have to work harder to steady the narrative. The film has more than a year to go before release, which leaves plenty of time to correct the perception.

For now, the facts are simple: a war-romance-drama from one of Hindi cinema's most exacting directors, with a trio of leads in Ranbir, Alia and Vicky, and a campaign that has chosen to reveal them one at a time. Everything else is speculation - including the claim that Vicky is upset.

A Deliberate Rollout or a Looming Problem?

The studio has not commented on the star's reported reaction. It is worth remembering that in the past, Bhansali has structured his campaigns around the story's rhythm rather than a star's billing. For "Love & War," a story about two Army officers and the woman who comes between them, the order of the reveals may reflect how the film's secrets are meant to unfold, not the rank of its cast.

What remains unclear is whether the order will change. If it doesn't, the next stage of the campaign will be watched closely for any signs that Vicky's role is being diluted. If it does, the industry will read the reversal as an acknowledgment that the optics mattered.

Either way, the conversation has already served one purpose: it has put "Love & War" back at the top of the film chatter without a single frame of new footage. For a movie nearly 18 months from release, that is not a bad outcome.

A Release Date to Circle

"Love & War" is scheduled for January 21, 2027. The film's rating on TMDb currently sits at 0/10, which simply means it has not been scored yet by users - not a reflection of its quality. With a director of Bhansali's standing and a cast of this magnitude, the movie is expected to be one of the biggest Hindi releases of its year.

For now, the only certainties are the release date, the director, the cast and the genre. The rest - including the mood of a certain actor who is still waiting for his turn in the spotlight - is a matter of interpretation. In an industry where the order of a poster drop can be read like a filing order of precedence, that interpretation is everything.

Source: Filmibeat