Seven years after Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah was shelved days before it was to go on floors, reports say the director and Alia Bhatt are discussing a revival once their current collaboration, Love & War, is out. Neither has confirmed anything officially, but the buzz has real substance. Here are five things to know.
- It was announced in 2019 as Bhansali’s reunion with Salman Khan. Inshallah was set to star Salman opposite Alia Bhatt — his first collaboration with Bhansali in years — but the project was shelved after Salman exited shortly before the shoot was scheduled to begin, reportedly over creative differences. The official line at the time was that the film would not proceed “for the time being,” and Bhansali moved on to Gangubai Kathiawadi instead.
- The revival won’t be the same film. According to the Mid-day report, Bhansali and Alia are looking at a substantially reworked version rather than a straight restart. The basic love story is expected to remain, but the screenplay and material will get a fresh treatment for a new era — so anyone expecting the 2019 version may be in for a different film.
- Salman is out of the picture. The original leading man is busy with Raj & DK’s upcoming project, and earlier speculation this year that Shah Rukh Khan could step in remains just that — speculation. The latest reports say no actor is locked, and the role could even go to a younger actor depending on where the reworked script lands.
- Bhansali’s script-first rule explains the uncertainty. Sources quoted in the report point to a standing practice on his films: no casting is locked until the script is finalised. The story comes first and the star comes after — which is why the revival talk is real even though the hero is not.
- Why it matters: the Bhansali-Alia track record. Gangubai Kathiawadi won Alia the National Award for Best Actress, and Love & War is one of the most anticipated films on the slate. If Inshallah returns, it would be Bhansali’s third straight collaboration with Alia — and a genuinely rare second life for a film Bollywood had written off.
