Reports indicate that Alia Bhatt is in consideration for the female lead in Jai Mehta's upcoming zombie thriller Pralay, starring Ranveer Singh. The film, set in a post-apocalyptic Mumbai, is slated to begin production in mid-2026. This potential collaboration would mark their third on-screen pairing after Gully Boy and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
Ranveer Singh, fresh off the success of Dhurandhar and his departure from Don 3, is turning his attention to Pralay, a zombie thriller directed by Jai Mehta. According to a Mid-Day report, the film will go on floors between July and August 2026, marking Mehta's feature directorial debut following his work on the series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.
Alia Bhatt, aged 32, is the first choice for the central female role, which is not portrayed as a love interest but as a character who challenges the hero's perspectives in a crumbling world. A source told Mid-Day: "The female lead is central to the narrative. She isn’t introduced as a love interest. She challenges the hero’s ideas in a collapsing world. Who could wield that power better than Bhatt? She brings credibility. In a film this experimental, you need powerhouses and actors the audience’s trust."
Pralay depicts a harsh, resource-scarce environment where characters face moral dilemmas, reimagining Mumbai as a decayed, abandoned city inspired by The Hunger Games. Large portions of the city will be digitally altered for filming, which starts in Mumbai before shifting to other locations. The makers plan to initiate talks with Bhatt as pre-production advances in January 2026.
If confirmed, this would be the third collaboration between Bhatt and Singh, following Gully Boy in 2019 and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani in 2023. Meanwhile, Singh has Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge scheduled for March 19, 2026, clashing with Yash's Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. Bhatt is currently involved in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal, with a first look expected in January 2026, and Yash Raj Films' Alpha with Sharvari. Ranbir Kapoor is set to appear in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana as Lord Ram.