In light of the improved relations between India and China, Salman Khan's upcoming war movie "Maatrubhumi", which is based on the 2020 Galwan conflict, is reportedly undergoing major revisions as the team has been asked to remove mentions of China.
Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, it was originally titled "Battle of Galwan". After a couple of delays, the makers had originally decided on a May 15 release date. However, it seems they'll have to push the release even further to accomodate the new changes brought on by the reshoots and script changes.
As per a report in Bollywood Hungama, the Ministry of Defence had reservations about the film’s content, and that, as per the directive of the Ministry, China may not be mentioned in the film.
“Earlier, the film was inspired by a real event. But as per the request of the Ministry of Defence, Salman Khan and director Apoorva Lakhia reshot the film by adding a fictional spin to the story. Accordingly, he reshot nearly 40% of the film as he added some romantic scenes, backstory, etc. The makers submitted the new cut, hoping that they would get the NOC. But the Ministry still has apprehensions,” the source was quoted by the portal.
The source further explained, “One of the requests to Salman Khan is that China shouldn’t be mentioned in the film. This was communicated to the makers in advance. The cut of 'Maatrubhumi', which was submitted earlier this month, has no mention of China.”
However, the report mentions that only the core members of the “Maatrubhumi” team would know how China is depicted in the film or shown without naming it.
The 2020 Galwan Valley clash, which is the focus of Salman's film, was a violent and fatal confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh on June 15-16, 2020. It resulted in 20 Indian soldier deaths and an undisclosed number of Chinese casualties. Occurring in the high-altitude Himalayan region, the battle involved hand-to-hand combat using clubs, stones, and sticks. No firearms were allowed as per a 1996 border agreement.
The clash led to a massive, long-term military standoff. In response, India banned over 200 Chinese apps, including TikTok, and implemented stricter economic controls on Chinese firms.
The confrontation marked the first deadly military clash between India and China since 1975, prompting international concern and leading to strained bilateral relations.
