Mumbai, Nov 6 Superstar Salman Khan on Friday said that “Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace” did not face any pressure from the government or the CBFC to make changes to the script, as he announced that the much-delayed war drama will finally make its debut in theatres across the country on December 4.
Salman, who headlines the Apoorva Lakhia-directed movie, based on the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops, shared the release date at the film’s promotional event here.
The 60-year-old actor said the film was delayed multiple times because the team wanted to ensure that the visual effects were up to the mark.
“Today, there are a lot of VFX experts out there who examine each and every shot of a film. So, with this film, we don’t want to give anyone an opportunity to zoom in on a scene and criticise its VFX. We want this film to visually blow everyone’s mind. It is a beautifully shot film,” the superstar told reporters.
“We thought we would be able to complete the film in 45-50 days, but madam (co-star Chitrangda Singh) got injured, and it took her time to recover. We were earlier supposed to release the film in either January or June, but it was then pushed to August. Now, we will release it on December 4,” he added.
Salman said the team had planned to release the movie on November 20 but the VFX work is still being finalised. He added that the official trailer of the film will be released a couple of days later.
The film, which was earlier titled “Battle of Galwan” before being rechristened “Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace”, 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 clashes.
Salman essays the role of Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who died along with 19 other soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment during the clash.
The actor asserted that the film didn’t face any issues either from the government or the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
There were reports earlier this year claiming that the makers were advised to tone down certain anti-China elements, leading to changes in the script and reshoots.
“So, this narrative that we are going against China and that our government has pressured us to change and rewrite the script is all nonsense. It is not true at all,” he said.
In fact, the film has been cleared by the censor board without any cuts, the superstar stressed.
“When the censor board and all the other agencies watched the film, they did not find anything wrong with it. So, the film has been released without any cuts. I would like to thank all the ministries and the censor board,” Salman added.
The film’s first teaser was unveiled on Salman’s 60th birthday in December last year and was criticised by China’s Global Times, which claimed the movie is a cinematic exaggeration and blamed it for distorting facts.
Salman said the film talks about “soldiers, their families, what they go through and what the soldiers themselves experience, on both sides”.
“There are no negative forces in the film. It is just the circumstances that are negative. The soldiers may like each other, but when a situation arises, the nation comes first. Both sides are trying to resolve the situation,” he said.
Salman said “Maatrubhumi” is not a biopic but an inspired story and he wanted to focus on the physical confrontation between soldiers rather than the wider consequences of war.
“You know, my father used to tell me, ‘In a war, a bullet reaches its target, but it also reaches a mother’s heart.’ I did not want to do that. I just wanted to make a film about a one-on-one physical confrontation, a scuffle. There are the Chinese, and there are us. We felt that this narrative could strain relations between the two countries.
“I don’t believe that the Chinese would look at a film made by Salman Khan and say, ‘He has made a film against us, let’s attack India,’ or the other way around where our armed forces would say, ‘Jackie Chan has made a film, let’s go and attack China.'”
Asked about the title change, Salman said the earlier title “Battle of Galwan” was temporary name for the film.
“You know that thing clapperboard. We had added it just like that. We knew we did not want to retain that title. We wanted a different one, and we eventually found the title in one of our songs, ‘Maatrubhumi’. It is a Himesh (Reshamiya) song. So thank you, Himesh.”
“Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace” is produced by Salman’s production banner Salman Khan Films.
(PTI News)
