Vicky Kaushal gets an intense new look in the latest poster from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War. After Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, Vicky is the final lead to receive a first-look reveal, and his poster takes the film’s promotional campaign in a noticeably darker direction.
The poster presents Vicky in a rugged avatar, with a moustache, a visible scar running across his cheekbone and another mark above his forehead. He is seen with a cigarette in his mouth while lighting it, with smoke surrounding him. The dark lighting and his direct gaze give the image a tense and serious mood, making the poster feel very different from a conventional romantic-drama first look.
What makes the image interesting is the amount of character suggested through its details. The scar, facial hair, cigarette and lighter create a specific personality without actually explaining who he is or what he is going through. The poster gives just enough to make Vicky’s character feel intriguing while keeping the larger context away from the audience.
That mystery becomes more interesting when placed alongside the earlier looks of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Each poster has presented a different visual side of the film, and Vicky’s reveal adds another distinct layer to that picture. It also raises questions about how these three characters are connected and what role Vicky’s darker appearance will play in the story.
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Love & War stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. The film is scheduled to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
For now, the poster leaves more questions than answers about Vicky’s character. His rugged styling, the scar and the deliberately moody presentation suggest that there is more to this look than what the first image reveals. As the promotions continue, audiences will be watching for the next glimpse that could finally offer some context to this mysterious character.