The teaser of Salman Khan starrer Battle Of Galwan may have garnered more than 20 million views in just three days, but it has stirred a hornet’s nest in China. The first teaser of the film, which is based on the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan valley in 2020, has drawn criticism from Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece which has a large international readership.
The film, being directed by Apoorva Lakhia, has Salman playing the role of Col. Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who laid down his life along with 19 other soldiers while defending the Indian territory in Ladakh in a battle which also saw an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers dead. Col. Babu was posthumously given India’s second-highest wartime gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra.
The Chinese tabloid claimed that the film’s teaser has sparked controversy because it distorted facts. It wrote that a Chinese expert said, “Bollywood films at the most provide an entertainment-driven, emotionally charged portrayal, but no amount of cinematic exaggeration can rewrite the history or shake the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) determination to defend China’s sovereign territory.”
The teaser begins with a voice-over by Salman’s character saying, “Soldiers, remember, if you get wounded, treat it like a medal, and if you see death, salute it.” It shows a group of Indian soldiers ready to take on Chinese troops charging towards them. As per sources in the Army, while the Indian soldiers led by Col. Babu were caught unawares by the Chinese who were carrying arms in violation of the understanding between the two sides, they recovered quickly and stunned the PLA with a ferocious response.
