Salman Khan-starrer ‘Battle of Galwan’ retitled as ‘Maatrubhumi’

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Monday said his upcoming film Battle of Galwan has been renamed as Maatrubhumi.

The much-anticipated film is based on the 2020 Galwan Valley conflict between India and China and it is directed by Apoorva Lakhia of Shootout at Lokhandwala fame.

The actor did not provide any reason for the sudden name change of the movie. The movie now also carries the tagline, “May War Rest In Peace”. The new title is likely inspired by the film’s first track ‘Maatrubhumi’, sung by Arijit Singh.

The film is inspired by the military standoff in eastern Ladakh in May 2020. Clashes at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between India and China. Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the Galwan Valley clashes.

In February 2021, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes though it is widely believed that the death toll on the Chinese side was much higher.

Salman essays the role of Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who laid down his life along with 19 other soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment during the clash.

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On Salman’s 60th birthday in December last year, he shared the teaser of the film, which drew criticism from China’s Global Times. The newspaper claimed the movie to be a cinematic exaggeration and blamed it for distorting facts.

A government source at the time said, “India has a tradition of cinematic expression. A movie titled Haqeeqat was made in 1964 and the theme was the India-China war of 1962. Another film 120 Bahadur was made recently on the legendary battle of Rezang La. Cinemas are an artistic expression and India does not restrict it.”