Once upon a time, Yash Raj Films' Spy Universe used to carry massive hype around their films. Shah Rukh Khan's comeback film Pathaan did historic business and opened a massive world of crossover possibilities. However, the consequenct debacles of Tiger 3 and War 2 has hinted at a possible saturation of the franchise.
Meanwhile, the first female-led installment of the Spy Universe, Alpha, has been in the making for a while now. Led by Alia Bhatt, this film also features Sharvari Wagh as the main protagonists with Bobby Deol also playing a big role. The initial release date for the film was December 25, 2025 and was moved to April 17, 2026 but this date has also been moved.
In fact, Alpha has been indefinitely postponed for now with a massive chunk of VFX-related work yet to be completed. With no promo or updates from YRF, there has been speculations about a potential direct OTT release for the film. However, in a recent development revealed by Variety India, the production giant has denied rumours of a direct streaming release.
Alpha had reportedly received a massive offer from Netflix for a direct OTT release but YRF have turned down the offer and maintained its stance of delivering a high-quality theatrical release. Through an official statement, YRF has explained that the delays for Alpha have been due to work-related constraints.
"[That] 'Alpha’ [is] going to stream directly [is a rumor that] aims at putting a heroine-fronted film in an unflattering light," said a spokesperson for YRF.
"Yash Raj Films will never put films from its theatrical slate directly to streaming. We are a studio that takes immense pride in making cinematic experiences.” And to underscore that point, adds, “‘Alpha’ is a tentpole movie for the company."
“‘Alpha’ is our attempt in trying to mount something incredibly special. With one of the finest actors of our country, Alia Bhatt, headlining the film, along with another brilliant young actor, Sharvari. We are hopeful that we have made a good film in ‘Alpha’ and it will entertain everyone and prove that audiences will give the same amount of love to this film as they shower upon other action movies.”
