'Creative freedom should not be politicised': India reacts to China's objection to Battle of Galwan

India on Tuesday pushed back against criticism from Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times over the upcoming Bollywood film Battle of Galwan, starring Salman Khan, asserting that filmmakers in the country enjoy creative freedom and that the film fits into a long tradition of Indian cinema portraying key military events.

Government sources told India Today that films based on India-China border incidents are not unprecedented. They cited earlier productions such as Haqeeqat (1964), which depicted the 1962 India-China war, and 121, a recent film on the Battle of Rezang La, to highlight that Indian cinema has previously engaged with sensitive chapters of military history.

The sources stressed that storytellers are free to choose narratives they consider important and that cinematic expression should not be politicised.

The response came hours after Global Times published an article criticising the teaser of Battle of Galwan, which was released over the weekend. The Chinese publication alleged that the film misrepresents the events surrounding the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June 2020.

According to the article, the portrayal in the teaser does not align with what it described as factual accounts of the incident. In a passage, the report dismissed the role of Indian Army officer Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who was killed during the clash.

The article also claimed that the teaser had triggered negative reactions among Chinese social media users, with some describing the film as exaggerated and sensationalised.

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Battle of Galwan is slated for release in April 2026 and also features Chitrangada Singh in a significant role.