New Delhi: Actor Salman Khan dismissed reports that his upcoming film Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace was rewritten or delayed due to government pressure over its portrayal of China, calling the allegations “bakwas (nonsense)” during the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai.
“There are narratives that this film is anti-China. The government has pressured us to rewrite the script. All these claims are bakwas,” he said at an event on Friday, ahead of the film’s trailer launch.
Explaining the film’s storyline, Salman said it revolves around soldiers from two countries who find themselves caught in a situation where both sides are attempting to resolve the circumstances.
“The story is about soldiers of two countries. They are caught in a situation, and both sides are trying to solve this,” he added.
The clarification comes after months of speculation surrounding the film’s storyline, title change and repeated release delays. The project was initially announced as Battle of Galwan and was inspired by the June 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.
“There is no negative force in the story. Actually, the situation is negative,” the actor added.
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Inspired by a book
Salman plays Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment who led Indian troops during the Galwan confrontation. The film also stars Chitrangda Singh, Mukesh Rishi, Ankur Bhatia, Zeyn Shaw and Abhilash Chaudhary. It is directed by Apoorva Lakhia.
The authors Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, whose book India’s Most Fearless was initially associated with the project, announced that they had ended their association with the film.
“As the film has evolved, it has moved beyond the account of the Galway incident in our India’s Most Fearless series that first brought us on board,” Aroor posted the statement on X.
The film is scheduled to release in theatres on 4 December.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)