While speculations about Alia Bhatt joining the blockbuster YRF Spy Universe has been hitting headlines for nearly 6 months now, Yash Raj Films’ CEO Akshaye Widhani confirmed this huge development today at FICCI Frames! When prodded constantly to reveal one new development within the YRF Spy Universe, Akshaye said, “I’ll share the worst kept secret in the industry, which is, that Alia Bhatt is headlining a Spy Universe film and that the schedule starts later this year. But you know, talking about this spy universe, we are just so thrilled and excited about having this IP in the studio.”
He adds, “I think the YRF Spy Universe is a financial and cultural juggernaut. And as one of the most prized IPs, we take a lot of pride in it. So there’s a lot of stuff that’s going to come on the spy universe. We’re going to see more and more films getting made under it. But of course, not going to share everything here. But we will talk about it at a more opportune time. But for now, I can just say that Alia Bhatt is headlining a spy universe film.”
Alia Bhatt is set to team up with young and rising Bollywood star Sharvari Wagh in the yet-to-be-titled film. They will play super-agents in the action entertainer! The YRF Spy Universe kicked off with Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger (2012) then followed by Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and War (2019), starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff. It was taken forward with Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham and then Tiger 3 with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Now, the next project will be War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan, NTR Jr. and Kiara Advani and directed by Ayan Mukerji.
Akshaye also touched upon the super successful year YRF has had on streaming with The Railway Men, about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, being a global hit show! It trended at Number three on Netflix! The Romantics, a docu-series on YRF and its impact on Pop culture for 50 years, also became a global success story.
