(TibetanReview.net, May31’26) – As India and China work to steady the recent upswing in their relationship after years of border tension, Bollywood filmmakers have been driven to rework, delay or altogether shelve projects inspired by the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, following official warnings against “China-bashing”, reported the scmp.com May 27, citing the filmmakers. This is despite the fact that India-China relations remain rooted in mistrust and misunderstanding, and the Galwan clashes firmly established Beijing as a strategic rival, noted the Indianexpress.com May 29.
The Galwan Valley clashes which resulted in deaths on both sides of the border, led to a freeze in Sino-India ties. The initial response to Galwan in India was one of anger and nationalistic assertion — banning Chinese apps and blocking Chinese investment – while Bollywood began making films to inspire national fervour.
Bollywood heavyweight Salman Khan’s war drama, initially titled “Battle of Galwan”, was reportedly asked to change its name to “Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace”, with several scenes requiring reshoots. A separate film, The Lion of Galwan, has been shelved entirely. Khan reportedly had to reshoot 40% of the film and filmmakers were forced to replace direct references to China with vague euphemisms, according to the scmp.com report.
Chinese state media had heavily criticised the teaser of Khan’s film, accusing it of distorting historical facts, promoting nationalist propaganda and misrepresenting Chinese sovereignty.
Originally scheduled for an Apr 17 release, the film has yet to receive a “No Objection Certificate” from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Because of the subject’s geopolitical sensitivity, the makers must first obtain clearance from the Indian Army and the Ministry of Defence before applying for CBFC certification.
Meanwhile, producer Himalay Dassani, who was developing “The Lion of Galwan” – a film based on the life of Vir Chakra awardee Sepoy Gurtej Singh, killed during the Galwan clash – has put the project on hold, the report said. The Vir Chakra is India’s third-highest wartime military gallantry award.
“After we complete the script, we will have to submit it to the Ministry of Defence before we begin shooting. Also, we have received a directive from them that there cannot be China-bashing,” Dassani has said in an interview with Mid-day.
He has made it clear, “If the fight and the reasons behind the clash are non-existent, there is no use in making a movie on it.”
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China’s criticism came as Sino-India ties eventually thawed by Oct 2024, and both sides had resumed engagement, with the latest talks in Beijing this week covering delimitation, border management, mechanism-building, and cross-border cooperation. Now, the domestic narrative is being quietly reframed: China has moved from public enemy number one to a partner in the “dragon-and-elephant tango”, noted the Indianexpress.com report.
The developments have drawn criticism from filmmakers and academics, who say they expose the selective application of creative freedom in Indian cinema. But the scmp.com report cited political analyst Sanjay Kumar as saying the government’s directive to modify films dealing with the clash was aimed at protecting the national interest.
“The issue is sensitive to the government and improving relationships with neighbours is always a good move, but at what cost needs to be figured out,” Kumar, a former director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi, has said.
Ira Bhaskar, a retired professor of cinema studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Arts and Aesthetics, has said producers had long sought subjects celebrating the heroism of India’s armed forces.
“With Pakistan, it is easy to do, but with China, it isn’t,” she has said. “We have a sensitive relationship with China. Freedom of expression in India always comes with caveats tied to India’s relationship with its neighbours and its sovereignty. The government is keen that only its narrative should be supported by filmmakers.”
“How can bashing China not be OK, but bashing Pakistan is? It was China who played an important role in helping Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor,” Onir, an Indian filmmaker and producer who is best known mononymously, has said, referring to May last year’s brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan.
Gunjan Singh, associate professor at OP Jindal Global University, has said in his Indianexpress.com piece, “China has consistently demonstrated both economic might and strategic acumen. New Delhi’s current posture appears to be one of calculated accommodation — unwilling to challenge Beijing’s narrative of peace and mutual growth, and reluctant to tell its own story on its own terms. In intensifying the message that peace along the LAC is India’s paramount concern, while Beijing pursues its interests at will, New Delhi is signalling an acceptance of the power gap between the two neighbours.”