Alia Bhatt set to headline Yash Raj Films’ spy universe: report

Variety reported on Friday that Yash Raj Films (YRF) has slated Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt to become the first female director of a spy movie.

Alia Yash Raj Films’ spy universe: The project, which will start in 2024, will include Bhatt as a “super agent,” according to the article.

Filmmaker Aditya Chopra created the espionage universe and cast Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the films “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017).

‘War’ (2019), starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, served as its continuation. Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham feature in the most recent installment of the franchise, “Pathaan,” which has earned $130 million worldwide.

The cumulative box office for the four films is close to $300 million.

The filmmakers have scheduled the release of the third installment in the spy series, “Tiger 3,” during the festival of Diwali in November.

‘Tiger vs. Pathaan,’ which will begin production in January 2024, has already cast with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi,’ helmed by legendary filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, featured Bhatt last year. The movie had its world premiere at the Berlinale before becoming a box office hit and topping the global Netflix charts in 25 different countries.

Another project, the South Indian movie “RRR,” in which she plays one of the leads, became one of the year’s biggest hits in India and won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best original song.

Bhatt made his producing debut with the Netflix hit “Darlings,” while the big office smash “Brahmastra Part One: Shiva” from Disney also did well.

Bhatt will make her Hollywood debut in the Netflix film “Heart of Stone,” which stars Jamie Dornan and Gal Gadot.

Variety Reports: Alia Bhatt to Lead Gritty Action Film Expanding YRF Spy Universe

According to a trade source cited by Variety, “Alia will take on a mission that will push her to the limit and this gritty action film will expand the YRF spy universe further.”

“In this as-yet-untitled film, Alia will be presented in a completely fresh, never-before-seen manner. She being a part of the YRF espionage world demonstrates that Aditya Chopra is considering all potential audiences for this franchise.

“Aditya Chopra is very bullish about Alia as an actress who can helm and start a franchise within the spy universe on her own, and he will pull out all the stops to mount this project at a scale that will be jaw-dropping,” said Variety.

Earlier this year, Italian luxury fashion house Gucci appointed Bhatt as their Global Ambassador. The company selected her as their first Indian brand ambassador, alongside ambassadors Harry Styles and Dakota Johnson representing different regions globally.

In this year’s MET Gala, Bhatt also made her debut wearing Nepalese-American fashion designer Prabal Gurung’s creations.

Bhatt is married to another Bollywood celebrity, Ranbir Kapoor, and is the daughter of renowned Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt. They wed in 2022 and now have a daughter.