Karan Johar starts shooting for 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani' with Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt

Mumbai: Filmmaker Karan Johar on Friday said he has commenced filming for his upcoming directorial venture "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani" featuring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead.

The love story, which marks Johar's return to film direction after the 2016 romantic drama "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", also stars Hindi cinema veterans Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

The 49-year-old director had last month announced the film, which is written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy.

Expressing his excitement to begin shooting, Johar shared a short video on social media, showing Bhatt and Singh along with other crew members on the film's set.

"The day is finally here & I have so many feelings going on in my head but what emerges at the top is - gratitude! As we begin our kahani ka first schedule, seeking all your pyaar & aashirvaad! It's time to roll!#RockyAurRaniKiPremKahani #RRKPK, the filmmaker wrote in the caption on Instagram.

Johar launched Bhatt in his 2012 production "Student of the Year" and went on to work with her on several films including 2 States , Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania , Dear Zindagi , Raazi , Kalank as a producer.

The new movie will mark the first collaboration between Johar and Singh. They were earlier supposed to work on the historical drama "Takht", which has been reportedly shelved.

This will also be the first time Dharmendra and Azmi will be working with Johar, while Bachchan had famously starred in the filmmaker''s 2001 blockbuster "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...".

"Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani" will be released in 2022.