All nonsense: Salman says govt never pressured him to change Maatrubhumi script

Actor Salman Khan on Friday dismissed rumours that his film, Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, was stuck with the censor board because the government had concerns about its portrayal of India-China relations. Speaking at the film's trailer launch in Mumbai, the superstar clarified that the makers had simply decided to develop a new version of the film. He also refuted reports suggesting that the script had been rewritten under government pressure, calling them baseless.

"Ye jo narrative hai na ki hum China ke against jaa rahe hain, vagarah vagarah... aur phir ki humari government ne hum par pressure dala hai ki iska script change karo, rewrite karo, ye sab bakwaas hai. It's not true at all. Humne picture banayi hai in soldiers ke upar - what they go through and what their families go through - vo side or ye side - dono sides. Toh isme koi negativity nahi hai. Bas halaat



hain negative hain."

"[This entire narrative - suggesting that our film is anti-China or that our government pressurised us into changing the script or into rewriting it - all this is nonsense. It's not tue at all. We have made a film about these soldiers, what they go through and what their families go through, on both sides. So, there is no negativity in it. It is just that the circumstances are negative]."

Khan then referred to the film's director, Apoorva Lakhia, and explained that the initial version of the story was conceptualised by him. Maatrubhumi, originally promoted as Battle of Galwan, was initially inspired by the June 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. However, Khan explained that the current version focusses on the soldiers and their experiences during such confrontations.