Ashoke Pandit DEFENDS Galwan battle against Chinese media claims of distorted facts: ‘Basically some kind of insecurity’: Bollywood News
As Battle of Galwan – the upcoming war drama starring Salman Khan – continues to make headlines, it has also sparked controversy abroad. Chinese state media, including the Global Times, criticized the film’s teaser and narrative, accusing it of distorting the facts about the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. In response, Ashoke Pandit, a veteran filmmaker and chief advisor to FWICE, strongly opposed the criticism, calling it predictable and rooted in insecurity rather than artistic reality.
Ashoke Pandit DEFENDS Galwan Battle Against Chinese Media Claims of Distorted Facts: ‘Basically Some Kind of Insecurity’
The controversy began after Battle of Galwan The teaser was released on the occasion of Salman Khan’s 60th birthday on December 27, 2025. Intended to depict the harrowing June 2020 hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the film – directed by Apoorva Lakhia – aims to dramatize one of the most intense clashes in recent India-China relations.
The Global Times, a publication linked to the Chinese government, published a commentary suggesting that Battle of Galwan can’t “rewrite history” and accused the film of presenting a one-sided version of events. He also called out perceived factual inaccuracies in the teaser and dismissed the depiction of the Indian Army’s sacrifices as exaggerated or exaggerated.
Responding to the backlash, Ashoke Pandit told NDTV that China’s reaction was neither surprising nor impactful on the film’s prospects in India or internationally. “When an Indian filmmaker makes a film, he absolutely ensures that the activities of our enemy country are exposed. As a nation, we are strong and our security forces are really brave to fight their battles for the country. So it’s basically a kind of insecurity that the Global Times feels.”
Producer Rahul Mitra echoed these sentiments in separate comments, emphasizing that filmmakers do due diligence in their research and that established names like Lakhia and Salman would not produce a film that “distorts facts just to make a film.”
The chief advisor of the West India Cine Employees’ Federation, in a separate conversation with Hindustan Times, claimed: “The producers must have thought that because it is about Galwan, China would react because it is a film that exposes them. We have the right to make a film like this on the subject and tell the world that this is what China has done to our country. China is a country which has supported Pakistan and created a lot of problems for our country. It’s a good thing that this film is made. If the film is good, it will do well.
Battle of Galwan is inspired by the June 2020 clash in the Galwan Valley, in which Indian troops clashed with Chinese forces in a rare and brutal high-altitude melee, resulting in casualties on both sides, including 20 Indian soldiers. The film stars Salman Khan as Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, the commander of the 16th Bihar Regiment in the real battle. Chitrangda Singh, Zeyn Shaw, Ankur Bhatia and Vipin Bhardwaj play supporting roles. The film is scheduled to be released theatrically on April 17, 2026.
Also read: Salman Khan’s Galwan Battle is not a biopic, a film to highlight the human cost of the Galwan clash
More Pages: Battle of Galwan Box Office Collection
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