Photo: Screenshot from the trailer of the Indian film Battle of Galwan

The Indian film Battle of Galwan, which claims to be based on the 2020 clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan region and is scheduled for release in April 2026, had its trailer released by lead actor Salman Khan on December 27, sparking online controversy on Monday. 

Salman Khan, best known to Chinese audiences as the lead actor in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, is often teased by Chinese netizens for playing roles that appear too invincible, with plots too simplistic, and visual effects so exaggerated that make the drama seem unreal.

In the film, 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. 

A Chinese expert said on Monday that Bollywood films at most provide an entertainment-driven, emotionally charged portrayal, but no amount of cinematic exaggeration can rewrite the history or shake the PLA's determination to defend China's sovereign territory.

According to the Hindustan Times on Sunday, the teaser begins with Salman's voice delivering a speech as he prepares his soldiers on how to fight the "enemy." The clip then shows him walking toward the "enemy," with his soldiers standing alongside him. Next, he is seen holding on to a stick as the "enemy" charged toward them. The video ends with Salman's character hitting a person with the stick.

However, some netizens compared it with a scene from Game of Thrones and questioned whether the film had copied the scene.

The film has also drawn other controversies online, with users pointing to issues such as the appearance and costumes of extras, actors' hairstyles that do not match their military roles or the extreme cold implied in the storyline, and, most importantly, a portrayal of events that does not align with the facts.

Some local media, including India Today, have hyped the film as being based on the events that took place between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan region on June 15, 2020, claiming that about 200 Indian soldiers bravely defended their territory against a force of 1,200 Chinese soldiers.

However, Chinese netizens have pushed back against such narratives. A Weibo user under the handle "Qingning Riyue v" commented that the Indian 'over-the-top' film seriously contradict the facts.

Another Weibo user, "Situka 98," mocked the film and the related media hype, saying, "When history falls short, Bollywood steps in."

As early as 2020, a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson gave a step-by-step account of the Galwan clash and elaborated China's position on settling this incident.

The spokesperson said that Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in the west section of the China-India boundary. For many years, the Chinese border troops have been patrolling and on duty in this region. Since April this year, the Indian border troops have unilaterally and continuously built roads, bridges and other facilities at the LAC in the Galwan Valley. China has lodged representations and protests on multiple occasions but India has gone even further to cross the LAC and make provocations. 

By the early morning of May 6 in 2020, the Indian border troops, who have crossed the LAC by night and trespassed into China's territory, have built fortification and barricades, which impeded the patrol of Chinese border troops. They deliberately made provocations in an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo of control and management. The Chinese border troops have been forced to take necessary measures to respond to the situation on the ground and strengthen management and control in the border areas, said the spokesperson.

According to the spokesperson, on June 15 2020, India's front-line troops, in violation of the agreement reached at the commander-level meeting earlier, once again crossed the Line of Actual Control for deliberate provocation when the situation in the Galwan Valley was already easing, and even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties. 

The adventurous acts of the Indian army have seriously undermined the stability of the border areas, threatened the lives of Chinese personnel, violated the agreements reached between the two countries on the border issue, and breached the basic norms governing international relations, said the spokesperson.

Later in 2021, China released details of the Galwan Valley conflict in June 2020 to honor martyrs who sacrificed their lives in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to clarify the truth of the incident, after India exaggerated casualty figures, distorted facts, and attempted to mislead the international community and smear the Chinese military, then-Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang said.

"We must note that the Galwan Valley skirmish is the Indian military's responsibility, as they illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control, initiated the incident and violently assaulted and attacked the Chinese military, causing casualties on both sides," Ren said in a release.

Four Chinese officers and soldiers sacrificed their lives, and one was heavily injured during the incident. They have been awarded by the Central Military Commission. A total of 20 Indian soldiers died in the skirmish.

The four martyrs were battalion commander Chen Hongjun and soldiers Xiao Siyuan, Wang Zhuoran and Chen Xiangrong. They were born in 1987, 1996, 1996, and 2001, respectively. 

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that India's use of films, especially Bollywood productions, to stir nationalistic sentiment is unsurprising, reflecting a deeply rooted cultural and political tradition.

He said that no matter how films dramatize or embellish events, they cannot change the core facts of the Galwan Valley incident: India crossed the border first, and the PLA defended China's territory in accordance with the law. The bravery shown by officers such as Qi Fabao and the fallen soldier Chen Hongjun carries both symbolic and practical significance, showing that a new generation of Chinese troops will never retreat when faced with threats to national sovereignty and territorial integrity, reflecting the enduring spirit of the PLA as a people's army.

"In extreme highland conditions, Chinese soldiers consistently uphold their duties and confront challenges, giving the public confidence. The incident resonates strongly in Chinese society, highlighting the practical recognition of national will and military spirit," said Song.

The film's theme and timing are inappropriate, as it presents only a one-sided Indian narrative and stokes antagonistic sentiment, at a time when China-India relations have only recently shown hard-won signs of easing, Lan Jianxue, director of the Department of Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

"No matter how 'over-the-top' a drama may be, a nation's sacred territory will never be affected by a film," Song added.