RRR Star Alia Bhatt To Headline YRF's Spy Universe In New Film

Yash Raj Films has roped in Alia Bhatt to headline a brand new female-led film in their ever-expanding Spy Universe.

Bhatt stands tall as one of India's biggest actors, headlining some of the industry's most popular films over the last decade. While she primarily works in Bollywood cinema, she received international recognition last year for appearing in the Telugu-language "RRR," which became a global phenomenon. The S. S. Rajamouli-directed film became a box office juggernaut stateside and roped in an Oscar win for the chart-bursting song "Naatu Naatu" — a major win for Indian cinema.

In addition to appearing in "RRR," Bhatt rounded out her 2022 by appearing in the Disney-backed "Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva," a Hindi-language fantasy epic film based on Hindu mythology. While the film received mixed reviews, the Walt Disney film was a financial success, emerging as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the year. Audiences might also remember her from "Gangubai Kathiawadi," a biopic that shot up on Netflix's charts, emerging as one of the streaming service's most popular licensed offerings from last year. She'll next be seen making her Hollywood debut as a villain with Gal Gadot in Netflix's spy-thriller "Heart of Stone."

It seems like globe-trotting adventures and intelligence agencies are on Bhatt's mind, as she's now set to join India's biggest franchise: Yash Raj Film's Spy Universe. Variety broke the news. One of Bollywood's most financially lucrative cinematic universes, Bhatt will be joining the Spy Universe in a brand new, untitled film as its first female lead. For action junkies around the world, this is a win. As for Bhatt, this is a major milestone in a storied career.

Yash Raj Film's Spy Universe first kicked off in 2012 with the action-thriller "Ek Tha Tiger." It starred Bollywood royalty Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif as two rival agents who fall in love. The globe-trotting action-thriller was a boon for Yash Raj Films, compelling them to debut a sequel in 2017, titled "Tiger Zinda Hai," which translates to "Tiger is Alive." It proved to be equally as financially successful. The studio saw green, realizing that they could take a cue from Marvel and establish their own cinematic universe. 

2019 saw the release of "War," which features Indian agent Kabir (Hrithik Roshan) go rogue, with his pupil Khalid (Tiger Shroff) after him in hot pursuit. It was another win for Yash Raj Films, both domestically in India and internationally. But the Bollywood franchise only found its footing earlier this year with "Pathaan," the highest-grossing Indian film of the year. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, "Pathaan" became a global box office phenomenon, especially stateside, where it wracked up more receipts than Best Picture nominees "Tár" and "The Fabelmans."

After the success of "Pathaan," Yash Raj Films doubled down on their Spy Universe, announcing a sequel to "War" starring Roshan and "RRR" star NTR Jr. A slew of other films are in the pipeline, including a "Tiger vs Pathaan" film, which will see two of Bollywood's biggest stars go head-to-head. Just like Marvel, YRF is interested in world domination, which is why they're roping in Alia Bhatt for a solo female-led action-thriller. Details are ultimately slim on Bhatt's spy project, but Variety describes it as a gritty action film that will see the "RRR" star pushed to the edge. The outlet says production will kick off in 2024. 

Alia Bhatt joining the Spy Universe is a major win for Yash Raj Films. Bhatt is one of India's most popular actors, with over 75 million Instagram followers and several brand partnerships. As one of the country's most recognizable faces, Bhatt has what it takes to elevate the male-crowded action franchise into an even larger, diverse phenomenon. While Bhatt isn't the only female in the "Spy Universe," note that she'll be the first to headline her own film.

Fans of the franchise have already fallen become invested in Katrina Kaif's Zoya, who first debuted in "Ek Tha Tiger" and Deepika Padukone's Rubai, who co-headlines "Pathaan" alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Taking to r/BollyBlindsNGossip, some are disappointed that franchise newcomer Bhatt is getting her own film, while Kaif and Padukone are relegated to their male-dominant films. "Wait. How does she get a movie before the already established female actresses in the universe?" asked u/Potential_Toe_3037. On the r/Bollywood subreddit, user u/NavdeepGusain pointed out that Kaif and Padukone likely didn't receive the call for solo films because their characters are Pakistani, writing, "As much as I want DP or Katrina to lead a female spy movie, the fact that they were Pakistani spies restrict that chance to absolute zero."

Still, it's all but possible that Kaif and Padukone will join the "RRR" star in her solo flick. Besides, fans like u/Shimigami1998 are confident that Bhatt can pull off playing a spy, noting how she starred as one in the 2018 box office juggernaut "Raazi." While it remains to be seen if Padukone will return as Rubai for the upcoming "Tiger vs Pathaan" film, Kaif is on track to return as Zoya in "Tiger 3."

"Tiger 3" hits cinemas worldwide on 10 November.