3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Feb 25, 2026 03:01 PM IST
A day after Sanjay Leela Bhansali celebrated his 63rd birthday on Tuesday, rumours began swirling on social media and reports began doing the rounds online that the filmmaker has suffered a heart attack and has been hospitalized at Sir HN Reliance Hospital in Mumbai. However, now, his family has denied these rumours, claiming that he’s all hail and hearty.
On Wednesday, Bhansali’s family put out a statement through the Instagram Stories on the handle of his production house, Bhansali Productions. “Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is doing absolutely fine. He has gone in for a routine medical check-up and there is no cause for concern. We sincerely appreciate the love, care, and concern shown by everyone. Thank you for your continued support and wishes,” said the statement.
In fact, Bhansali spent a better part of the day filming his upcoming period epic Love & War, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal. “Work is all that I have to define my identity. When I am workless, I feel worthless. I’m more adventurous and fearless as an artist now. Today, I am working harder than I did five or 10 years ago. I put in nearly 20 hours every day, and I am enjoying it,” the filmmaker said in a statement on his 63rd birthday.
As per a Variety India report, the shooting of Love & War, which was supposed to conclude within 120 days, has already extended to 175 days. With three song sequences and a major dramatic sequence yet to be canned, another 50 days have of filming have been added to the film’s schedule. Consequently, the cost of production has also gone up considerably from Rs 350 crore to 425 crore.
This makes Love & War Bhansali’s most expensive film yet, surpassing Rs 215 crore invested in the making of his 2018 blockbuster period drama Padmaavat. Since the three lead stars — Alia, Ranbir, and Vicky — will share profits from the backend deals, Bhansali has already recovered Rs 200 crore from non-theatrical avenues — Rs 130 crore from digital rights deal with Netflix India and Rs 70-80 crore music and satellite rights combined.
