Battle of Galwan, Salman Khan's upcoming film, has been in the headlines over the last few days, following the release of its teaser, coinciding with the actor's 60th birthday. However, experts from China have levelled fresh allegations against Battle of Galwan's makers of "distorting facts".
According to the Chinese newspaper, named the Global Times, run by the state, an expert from the nation said that, more often than not, Hindi cinema offers "entertainment-driven, emotionally charged" narrative, and that "no amount of cinematic exaggeration can rewrite the history or shake the PLA's determination to defend China's sovereign territory."
The film, which hails from Shootout at Lokhandwala director Apoorva Lakhia and also stars Chitrangada Singh, is based on the 2020 India-China conflict on the Galwan Valley and on excerpts from Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh's book India’s Most Fearless 3.
Soldiers from India and China fought the battle using sticks and stones because of bilateral agreement terms between both nations.
The outlet appears to play down the part that Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu played in the aforementioned clash.
"Salman Khan plays Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, a role that Indian media claimed captured Bollywood's attention for his so-called pivotal role in the 2020 Galwan Valley clash," argued the newspaper.
It also suggested that the media's claim about the Indian soldiers defending the home territory even as the Chinese troops outnumbered them is not factually correct.
Netizens in China are also criticising the aforementioned narrative, with some arguing that it is a part of Hindi cinema's agenda.
Salma Khan is producing Battle of Galwan, which Salman is presenting under his eponymous banner. The film is slated for an April 17, 2026, release in theatres.