₹425 Crores and Counting: Why Bhansali Just Shattered His Own ‘Padmaavat’ Budget Record!
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50 More Days and 100 More Crores: Inside the Massive Budget Escalation of Bhansali’s Next Epic!
Mumbai, Wednesday, February 25, 2026. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for many things—grandeur, perfectionism, and a refusal to settle for anything less than a masterpiece—but today, the master auteur has officially hit a new milestone. His upcoming period epic, Love & War, has reportedly seen its budget balloon to a staggering ₹425 crore after the filmmaker added 50 more days to the shooting schedule.
This escalation makes it the most expensive film in Bhansali’s career, even surpassing the massive ₹350 crore production of Padmaavat. The film, which features the power-packed trio of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, is now targeting an early 2027 theatrical release to avoid a direct collision with Ranbir’s other behemoth, Ramayana: Part One, scheduled for Diwali 2026.
This update isn’t just about a rising bill; it is a strategic earthquake for the Indian film industry.
When a project this big moves its date, the entire calendar shifts like a deck of cards. For the fans, this news is both a relief and a frustration. We are looking at a scenario where Ranbir Kapoor is essentially the guardian of two of the biggest franchises in Bollywood history. By pushing Love & War to early 2027, the makers are ensuring that Ranbir doesn’t end up competing against himself. It protects the financial interests of both films, but it also means the hype cycle for Love & War has to be sustained for another full year. Are audiences ready to wait that long, or will the “Bhansali fatigue” set in before the first trailer even drops?
Here is my take on the mood inside the industry right now: Perfectionism is becoming a liability in the age of fast-paced content. Bhansali is currently spending hours—sometimes over 20 hours a day—fine-tuning aerial action sequences and epic musical numbers that are the emotional backbone of this film. While we respect the “maverick” spirit, the repeated delays have already stretched the initial 120-day shoot to nearly 225 days. It makes you wonder: at what point does “perfect” become “too expensive to fail”? Is this the peak of Indian cinema’s technical ambition, or is it just a production management nightmare disguised as art?
Love & War ₹425 Crore Breakdown: Numbers Don’t Lie
The financial structure of Love & War is unlike anything we have seen recently in Bollywood.
According to a report by Variety India, the production costs alone have hit the ₹425 crore mark, and that is excluding the massive remuneration usually charged by its A-list leads.
- Original Budget: ₹350 Crore
- Revised Budget: ₹425 Crore
- Initial Shoot Plan: 120 Days
- Current Shoot Status: 175 Days completed, 50 more added (225 total)
- Pending Work: Three songs and a major dramatic war sequence
What makes this budget viable is the smart financial engineering happening behind the scenes.
Ranbir, Alia, and Vicky have all reportedly opted for backend profit-sharing deals instead of upfront fees. This means their “paychecks” are tied directly to the theatrical success of the film, reducing the immediate cash outflow for Bhansali.
Furthermore, Saregama India has stepped in as a major co-producer, reportedly injecting around ₹325 crore into the venture.
Why the 2027 Shift is a Masterstroke (And a Necessity)
The industry source confirmed that Bhansali is not satisfied until every single frame matches his vision, which is why the production has ballooned. But the release shift is purely about the box office math.
Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana: Part One is locked for a grand Diwali 2026 release. Releasing Love & War anywhere near that window would be financial suicide for both distributors.
The team is now eyeing a January (Republic Day) or February (Valentine’s Day) 2027 release window. This gives the film a clear runway, avoiding clashes with other massive releases like Yash’s Toxic or Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2, both of which were initially hovering around the 2026 dates.
Despite the rising costs, Bhansali has already recovered a significant chunk of the investment.
Reportedly, over ₹200 crore has been recouped through non-theatrical rights, including a massive ₹130 crore deal with Netflix for post-theatrical streaming. Another ₹70-80 crore has come from music and satellite rights.
A Look Toward the 2027 Horizon
This delay is a gamble on the “theater-as-spectacle” model. As production wraps up around June 2026, the film will enter an extensive post-production phase focused on heavy VFX for its 1960s-era aerial action sequences. This isn’t just a love story; it’s a war drama featuring a fierce rivalry between characters played by Ranbir and Vicky Kaushal over Alia Bhatt’s character.
The wait is long, and the stakes are higher than ever. If Love & War delivers on the promise of being the most ambitious film ever from the house of SLB, the ₹425 crore budget will look like a bargain. But if the audience’s attention span continues to shrink, 2027 might be a very different market than the one Bhansali started in.
Look, Bhansali is a madman in the best way possible. When you have three of the biggest stars in the country working for free upfront just to be in your frame, you know you’re doing something right. But ₹425 crores is serious money.
This film now has to do RRR or Jawan numbers just to be called a “hit.” The move to 2027 is the only logical choice because clashing with Ramayana would have been like choosing which of your own children you want to win a fight. It’s smart, it’s safe, but it also puts a mountain of pressure on the final product to be nothing short of legendary.
My Take
Original Source: First reported by Variety India.
Question For You: Do you think Sanjay Leela Bhansali is overspending on Love & War, or is the ₹425 Cr budget justified for a star cast this big? Let me know in the comments!
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