Ranbir Kapoor's 44th Birthday With Bhansali, Alia, Vicky

Neetu Kapoor's Sweet Note

Wishes poured in for the actor through the day. His mother, veteran actress Neetu Kapoor, who lovingly calls him "Rana", shared a selfie with him on her Instagram Stories. "Happy happy to you Rana you are mine and I feel blessed (sic)," she wrote.

A Week of Love & War

The birthday dinner caps a busy week for the film. The makers unveiled Ranbir's first look on September 24, showing him in a rugged avatar with a blood-stained sleeve and a bullet mark on his shirt. The caption read, "Woh rutba, woh raub, woh junoon!"

Alia Bhatt's cabaret-style first look followed on September 25, and Vicky Kaushal's two contrasting posters were released on September 26. With all three leads now introduced, the birthday photo is the first time the trio has been seen together with Bhansali since the posters dropped.

Love & War releases in cinemas on January 21, 2027, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film marks Ranbir's reunion with Bhansali, who launched him in Saawariya in 2007.

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Why It Matters: Two Epics in 11 Weeks

Ranbir's 44th year is set to be one of the most significant of his career. Before Love & War arrives, he leads Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1, which releases worldwide on November 6, two days before Diwali.

In Ramayana, he plays Lord Rama, with Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The film's music is composed by Hans Zimmer and A R Rahman, and the second part is expected in Diwali 2027.

That means two of the biggest Indian films of the season, a mythological epic and a Bhansali love story, will feature Ranbir within roughly 11 weeks of each other. Few actors have had two releases of this scale so close together.

For Ranbir, this birthday was a pause before a packed calendar. A dinner with the Love & War team, a heartfelt note from his mother, and then, in the weeks ahead, a Diwali release as Lord Rama followed by a January release for Bhansali.

With inputs from IANS.