Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh
Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone at Ram-leela special screening at Ram-leela special screeningVarinder Chawla

Viacom 18's CEO Sudhanshu Vats has put all the speculations about Padmavati movie to rest with tweets. Vats officially announced the cast of Padmavati, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and its release date.

For the first time, Ranveer Singh will be seen sharing screen space with Shahid Kapoor in Bhansali's magnum opus Padmavati. While Ranveer and Shahid will play the male leads, Deepika Padukone will be seen in the title role.

Ranveer will be seen playing the role of ruler Alauddin Khilji, which is said to be a negative role. Deepika will portray the character of the queen of Chittor Rani Padmavati, while Shahid will be seen playing Rani Padmavati's (Deepika) husband King Ratan Singh of Chittor.

"Delighted to announce that @Viacom18Movies and #SanjayLeelaBhansali are joining hands to release the magnum opus @RealPadmavati in 2017!" Vats confirmed that the movie will release in 2017.

"With @deepikapadukone, @RanveerOfficial & @shahidkapoor in the lead, we are surely excited about @RealPadmavati," he further added.

Bhansali, who is known for portraying tragic love stories on silver screen, is joining hands with Deepika and Ranveer again post the success of Goliyon ki Rasleela Ramleela and Bajirao Mastani. However, this is the first time he will be working as a director with Shahid.

With Padmavati, Bhansali will be seen directing an anti-hero film, as the film is based on the ruler Alauddin Khilji, who is in love with Ratan Singh's wife Padmavati. The film is expected to go on floors by the year end, but the pre-production work has already begun in Mumbai. The crew of Padmavati has already built a colossal set for Padmavati at the Mehboob Studios in Mumbai.