We had earlier reported about the makers of Salman Khan starrer The Battle of Galwan renaming their project to Maatrubhumi. After a directive from the defence of Ministry, the team was reportedly compelled to rework their storyline to minimise the portions around Indo-China conflict, and rather focus on a soldier’s life and relationships, rebranding itself as a human drama. Now reports are coming in that the directive has brought another war film to a screeching halt.
According to a report from Mid-Day, actor-filmmaker Himalay Dasani was planning to make a comeback after many years with a film starring his son Abhimanyu Dassani, titled The Lion of Galwan. The film was based on the life of Sepoy Gurtej Singh, who was martyred during the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and was posthumously award the Vir Chakra. However, the film has now reportedly been indefinitely postponed.
Considering the renewed diplomatic relations between the two countries, filmmakers have reportedly now been advised to avoid any China-bashing and get a clearance from defence ministry before proceeding with any script dealing on these lines.
Himalay was quoted saying according to the above-stated report, “We have received a directive from them that there cannot be China-bashing. The India-China relationship is much better today. There will be no point in telling the story of the Galwan battle as we can’t show the correct angle. If the fight and the reasons behind the clash are non-existent, what is the use of making a movie on it? So, we have kept it on the backburner.”
The controversy around Maatrubhumi, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, began after it’s teaser was released and received overt criticism from a leading Chinese publication accusing the filmmakers of distorting facts. In January 2026, Ministry of External Affairs issued a clarification stating it had no role in the endorsement of any fictional retellings of the Indo-China conflict.
The makers of Maatrubhumi reportedly soon planned reshoots for their film which was earlier primarily based on the military standoff during the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, in which 20 Indian Army personnel lost their lives, severely straining India-China ties. A new release date for Maatrubhumi is yet to be announced.
