Is Ranbir Kapoor, Alia’s Love & War Release Delayed To Avoid Yash’s ‘Toxic’?

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, is reportedly running 40 days behind schedule, prompting a delay from its Eid 2026 slot to prevent a massive clash with the pan-India spectacle, Toxic.

October 31, 2025: The highly anticipated box office face-off between two of Indian cinema’s biggest productions has been avoided, at least for the festive Eid 2026 window.

Sources indicate that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ambitious period drama, Love & War, featuring the star-studded trio of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, has been postponed from its original Eid 2026 release date, which was scheduled to clash directly with Yash’s pan-India gangster drama, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-ups.

Production Delays Force a Reschedule

The primary reason for the shift appears to be significant delays in the production timeline of Love & War. According to sources cited by Bollywood Hungama, the film is running approximately 40 days behind its shooting schedule, with nearly 75 days of shoot still remaining.

“It’s a blessing in disguise, as it made no sense for two Pan-Indian films to clash on the same date,” a source stated. The earliest Love & War can now hit the screens is reportedly in June 2026, placing its release in the latter half of the year. Bhansali has allegedly requested the lead actors to allocate bulk dates until Summer 2026 to ensure the project is completed.

An official confirmation regarding the new release date from the makers is still pending.

Toxic Holds its Ground

Meanwhile, the release date for Yash’s next big-screen venture, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-ups, remains firm. The period gangster drama, which was originally slated for a December 2025 release but was delayed, will now hit theatres on March 19, 2026. This date is perfectly timed for the major festive weekend of Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, and Eid, which falls around the same time.

Toxic, which is being shot simultaneously in Kannada and English and will be released in five dubbed languages, stars a massive ensemble cast including Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, and Sudev Nair. The film, produced by KVN Productions and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, is set against the backdrop of a powerful drug cartel operating in Goa.

The delay of Love & War effectively clears the box office path for Toxic to capitalize on the lucrative festive weekend.