War 2

About the film

War 2 is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. Based on a script written by Shridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala, from an original story by Chopra, it is the sixth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe and sequel to the 2019 film War. The film stars Hrithik Roshan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. (in his Hindi film debut) in the lead roles, alongside Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles. It follows Kabir Dhaliwal, a former RAW agent, who, after going rogue, becomes a major threat to national security, and a special units officer, Vikram Chelapathi, is assigned to neutralise him.

Principal photography took place from October 2023 to July 2025. The film was shot extensively in Mumbai with sporadic schedules taking place in Spain, Italy and Abu Dhabi. The film's soundtrack is composed by Pritam while Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara composed the film score. Made on an estimated budget of ₹300–400 crore, it is one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

Plot

In January 2025, nearly six years after going rogue and eliminating Saurabh and Rizwan Ilyasi, Kabir operates as a freelance mercenary for various international clients. After assassinating a gangster in Japan, he goes to meet a client in Germany, who drugs and transports him to India, where he is introduced to the Kali Cartel — a powerful criminal syndicate comprising members from India and its neighboring countries, aiming to infiltrate and control the Indian government. The cartel requests Kabir's assistance, unaware that two years earlier Colonel Sunil Luthra had secretly tasked him with infiltrating the organization, creating the public perception that Kabir was a rogue agent and no longer affiliated with RAW.

Kabir's first assignment from the cartel is to assassinate Luthra. Luthra himself coerces Kabir into carrying out the act, which Kabir does with deep emotional conflict. This earns Kabir the trust of the cartel, and he is sent to meet the Indian leader of the cartel — businessman Gautam Gulati. Meanwhile, RAW receives footage of Kabir killing Luthra, and Colonel Vikrant Kaul is appointed as the new RAW chief. Wing Commander Kavya, Luthra's daughter and Kabir's former lover, joins the team assigned to track him and swears revenge on seeing the footage. On the recommendation of Defence Minister Vilasrao Sarang, Special Unit Officer Major Vikram Chelapathi is also recruited to the team.

Kabir is later tracked in Spain, where he is visiting his adoptive daughter Ruhi. Vikram pursues Kabir onto a high-speed train, but allows him to escape moments before the train crashes. Kabir and Ruhi visit Khalid's house to ensure Ruhi's safety with Khalid's mother. At the ISIS training camp in Yemen, Gulati subsequently orders Kabir to assassinate Sarang's family aboard a chartered flight to pressure the minister. Following a deliberate clue left by Kabir, Vikram meets him privately and learns the truth about Kabir's mission, agreeing to aid him. Kabir hijacks the flight with a stealth bomber and, with Vikram's help, kills the attackers. However, Vikram reveals himself as a member of the cartel — murders Sarang's family, ejects Kabir from the plane, and addresses him cryptically as “Kaboo,” causing Kabir to remember his troubled past.

Production

At the launch party of War in October 2019, when asked about a sequel, director Siddharth Anand confirmed he was working on the script and had plans to convert the film into a franchise, depending on the audience's response to the film. In April 2023, Yash Raj Films confirmed the sequel and sixth instalment in the universe titled War 2. Ayan Mukerji was signed as the director replacing Anand, marking his first film in the universe, and first venture outside of Dharma Productions.

Shanoo Sharma was the casting director. Hrithik Roshan reprises his role from War. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. was cast in April 2023, marking his debut in Hindi cinema. Kiara Advani was cast in July 2023. Ashutosh Rana confirmed he would reprise his role from War and Pathaan (2023). Roshan reprised his role in a cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of Tiger 3 which was directed by Mukerji himself. Anil Kapoor was cast in July 2024. Bobby Deol made a cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of the film. He reprised his role in the seventh installment of the universe, Alpha.

Principal photography began in October 2023 in Salamanca, where a car chase sequence was filmed. Due to Roshan and Rao having schedules in Mumbai and Hyderabad for Fighter and Devara: Part 1 respectively, stunt doubles were used. In December 2023, filming took place in Abu Dhabi where a boat chase sequence choreographed by Franz Spilhaus was filmed. Additional sequences were filmed at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Music

The soundtrack album consists of 8 compositions, composed by Pritam and Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara; with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The film score was composed by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara. The first single titled "Aavan Jaavan" was released on 31 July 2025. The second single titled "Janaab-e-Aali" was teased on 7 August 2025. The full song premiered in theaters along with the film. The full album was released on 16 August 2025.

Key details