Salman Khan’s highly anticipated military drama Maatrubhumi, originally announced as Battle Of Galwan, is facing significant theatrical delays due to real-world diplomatic shifts. Centered around the 2020 border clashes between India and China, the project has reportedly drawn scrutiny from the Ministry of Defence following a recent thaw in relations between the two nations. Officials have expressed reservations regarding the movie’s sensitive geopolitical content and its direct mentions of China, effectively stalling its expected release. While producers are still fighting to get the film into cinemas by the end of this year, the ongoing clearance hurdles could ultimately push the premiere all the way to 2027.
“The issues are yet to be resolved. Even if they are resolved soon, it will now be difficult to secure a good release slot, as most major dates have already been taken,” a source told Bollywood Hungama, adding, “Dussehra falls on Tuesday, October 20, this year. Even the day before Dussehra usually functions like a major holiday, with collections witnessing a jump. Hence, Maatrubhumi could benefit from an extended five-day weekend of sorts. Ramayana is expected to be preponed to October 30. After that, no major release is scheduled until the last week of November, which could also work in Maatrubhumi’s favour.”
If things are not resolved, the film also starring Chitrangada Singh could be pushed to next year. Maatrubhumi was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on April 17, but has faced multiple delays since then.