Salman Khan’s Battle of Galwan, slated for release in April next year, has landed in controversy at an international level just days after its trailer was released. In the film, Khan portrays Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu and is seen delivering a rousing speech to boost the morale of his soldiers. As the teaser goes on, he can be seen walking towards the “Chinese” soldiers and a stick in his hand. The teaser ends with Khan hitting a soldier with the stick.
‘Does not align with the facts’
An article in China’s state-run newspaper, Global Times, alleged that the events from June 2020 shown in the film “do not align with the facts”.
The report, citing a Chinese expert, dismissed the film as an “over-the-top” one, adding that “Bollywood films at most provide an entertainment-driven, emotionally charged portrayal, but no amount of cinematic exaggeration can rewrite the history or shake the PLA’s determination to defend China’s sovereign territory”.
The article went on to falsely claim that the Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in the western section of the China-India boundary. It added that since April this year, the Indian side has been building roads, bridges and other facilities, and went as far as to claim that the troops from the Indian side crossed LAC, which led to the clashes.
“They deliberately made provocations in an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo of control and management. The Chinese border troops have been forced to take necessary measures to respond to the situation on the ground and strengthen management and control in the border areas,” the Global Times added, attributing the statement to a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson.
The statement further claimed that the “acts of the Indian army have seriously undermined the stability of the border areas, threatened the lives of Chinese personnel, violated the agreements reached between the two countries on the border issue, and breached the basic norms governing international relations”.
‘Over-the-top drama’
The article quoted yet another expert who said that Bollywood films try to stir “nationalistic sentiment” and that it is “unsurprising” for him, as it reflects a “deeply rooted cultural and political tradition”.
“No matter how ‘over-the-top’ a drama may be, a nation’s sacred territory will never be affected by a film,” the report further quoted a Chinese military expert as saying.
Yet another expert said that the film presents a one-sided narrative and that, too, at a time when China-India relations continue to worsen and show no signs of easing.
India acknowledged that 20 soldiers were martyred in the long-standing clash. However, China dismissed the claim as “distorted facts” to “mislead the international community and smear the Chinese military”. Although China initially denied any casualties, it later said that it lost four troops, while one was heavily injured.
