"Artistic Freedom": Government Sources On China's Criticism Of Film On Galwan

India on Tuesday underlined that there's "artistic freedom" in the country and filmmakers have the right to make films exercising this freedom, government sources said after Chinese media claimed the Salman Khan starrer 'Battle of Galwan' "distorts facts".

The movie is set against the backdrop of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between the soldiers of Indian Army's 16 Bihar regiment and the Chinese troops. It is based on a story from India's Most Fearless 3 by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh.

In the film, Salman Khan plays Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment, who died while fighting intruding People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops.

New Delhi has officially acknowledged that it lost 20 troops in the brutal hand-to-hand combat. On the contrary, Beijing, which earlier denied any casualties in the clash, later claimed it lost four soldiers, gravely underplaying the number.

"India is a country with freedom of expression, and cinematic expression is an integral part of it. Indian filmmakers are free to make films as per this artistic freedom," a source told NDTV. 

"Those who may have concerns on this particular film are free to approach India's Ministry of Defence for any clarifications. Government has no role to play in this film," the source added.

Following the clashes, tensions between India and China rose, with the army deploying formations near the Galwan Valley, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, and undertaking activities such as surveying border areas to prevent "possible" Chinese aggression.

An article in China's state-run newspaper, Global Times, alleges that the events of the June 2020 clash portrayed in the movie "do not align with the facts." 

"The 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," read the article.

The Global Times article falsely claims that the Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control. It places the responsibility of the June 2020 clashes on India, claiming that Indian troops crossed over the LAC and provoked a fight.