'Maatrubhumi' faces Ministry of Defence concerns; Will Salman Khan's film skip China reference; Here's what we know

Expectations are high for Salman Khan’s upcoming film Maatrubhumi, earlier titled 'Battle of Galwan'. Now the latest reports say that the war film is undergoing significant changes. Reports suggest the makers have reworked the script following reservations from the Ministry of Defence.As reported by Bollywood Hungama, the film may now avoid any direct mention of China in its final cut. This development comes after the project was inspired by the 2020 India-China conflict. 'Maatrubhumi' was initially planned as a film based on real events from the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. However, with improving relations between India and China, the Ministry of Defence reportedly expressed concerns about the content.According to reports, director Apoorva Lakhia reshot nearly 40 percent of the film. It was mainly in adding romantic scenes and backstory to give it a more fictional spin.As reported by Bollywood Hungama, “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."Only the core team is aware of how the neighbouring country is referenced without being named explicitly.The makers had originally planned an April 2026 release. Due to the extensive changes and the need for a new NOC, the April date was cancelled.There are now rumours that the film could hit theatres in May 2026, though no official confirmation has come yet.Salman Khan is expected to play a powerful and intense character in 'Maatrubhumi'. The film also stars Chitrangda Singh in the lead female role in this war drama. Salman Khan's previous film was 'Sikandar'.