Mumbai: Salman Khan has finally announced the release date of his much-awaited film ‘Maatrubhumi’, confirming that the war drama will arrive in theatres on December 4, 2026.
The announcement ends months of uncertainty surrounding the film’s release, which was pushed back several times.
Salman, who plays the lead in Apoorva Lakhia’s directorial, shared the release date at a promotional event in Mumbai.
Addressing the delay, the actor said the makers had taken additional time to ensure that the visual effects met the desired standards.
“Today, there are a lot of VFX experts out there who examine each and every shot of a film. So, with this film, we don’t want to give anyone an opportunity to zoom in on a scene and criticise its VFX. We want this film to visually blow everyone’s mind. It is a beautifully shot film,” Salman told reporters.
“We thought we would be able to complete the film in 45-50 days, but madam got injured, and it took her time to recover. We were earlier supposed to release the film in either January or June, but it was then pushed to August. Now, we will release it on December 4,” he added.
The film was initially titled ‘Battle of Galwan’ before being renamed ‘Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace’. It draws inspiration from the military standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in May 2020.
The tensions escalated into violent clashes in the Galwan Valley in June that year, severely straining diplomatic ties between the two countries. Twenty Indian Army personnel lost their lives in the confrontation.
Salman portrays Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who was killed alongside 19 other soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment during the Galwan Valley clash.
The actor unveiled the film’s first teaser on his 60th birthday in December last year.
However, it drew criticism from China’s state-run newspaper Global Times, which described the film as a cinematic exaggeration and accused it of distorting facts.
An Indian government source had responded at the time, saying, “India has a tradition of cinematic expression. A movie titled ‘Haqeeqat’ was made in 1964 and the theme was the India-China war of 1962. Another film ‘120 Bahadur’ was made recently on the legendary battle of Rezang La. Cinemas are an artistic expression and India does not restrict it.”
