Amid Salman Khan's Battle Of Galwan Buzz, LAC: Battle Of Galwan Director Reveals How His Film Has Been Stuck With CBFC For 3 Years

NDTV

7 hours ago

New Delhi:
Salman Khan unveiled the first look of his next, Battle of Galwan, last week. He is said to be essaying the character of Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commendable officer who led the 16 Bihar regiments during the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with Chinese troops.
However, it is interesting to note how Nitin Kumar Gupta's LAC: Battle of Galwan, which is based on the same subject, was quietly released on YouTube on July 5, 2025. Initially meant for a June 15, 2023, release, the filmmaker has revealed how CBFC asked for multiple changes in the film, as per a Mid-Day report.
What's Happening
Amid the strong buzz for Salman Khan's next film, Battle of Galwan, the first look of which was unveiled last week, there is another movie inspired by the same subject that was released on YouTube.
LAC: Battle of Galwan, directed by Nitin Kumar Gupta and led by Rahul Roy, is a fictional representation of the battle between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh in 2020.
The director said, "I wanted the families of the soldiers to see the film in theatres."
He further revealed how the movie was shot in November 2020 and was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in June 2022. Following that, in August 2022, the CBFC also showcased the 83-minute single-shot film for the Additional Directorate General of Public Information committee of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces personnel in New Delhi. A screening for the board was also arranged in the same month.
However, what came next was a horde of changes that the CBFC demanded to be made in the war film.
Stating the changes that were asked to be implemented, the director revealed, "They asked me to remove LAC from the title, delete references to the actual location, and reduce violence by 33 per cent - essentially asking us to dilute the reality of hand-to-hand combat our soldiers faced. The most painful was when they asked us to remove the photos of the 20 real-life soldiers from the end credits. These photos were already in the public domain, with their names released by the government."
He further added, "We had changed the soldier's names to protect the families' privacy; we didn't mention China directly to avoid diplomatic issues, and based our story on verified sources."
Although the modified version of the film was resubmitted in September 2022, there has been absolute silence from CBFC's end since then.
"For three years, I knocked on every door. The film's digital rights rest with Vikram Jadhav, who is an American citizen. It was his decision to release it on YouTube on July 5," concluded Nitin Kumar Gupta, as per the Mid-Day report.
Salman Khan's The Battle Of Galwan Mostion Poster Reveal
Salman Khan dropped the look of his upcoming film titled Battle of Galwan, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, last week.
The motion poster showcases Salman Khan as Colonel B Santosh Babu with bloodstains all over his face; he's also sporting a moustache in the film. The film's plot highlights one of India's most brutal battles ever fought without a single bullet being fired.
The first glimpse captures the patriotic essence of a battle fought over 15,000 feet above sea level.
In A Nutshell
Amid the buzz generated by the motion poster reveal of Salman Khan's Battle of Galwan, there is another film that was discreetly released on YouTube. Director Nitin Kumar Gupta revealed how he was forced to release his film LAC: Battle of Galwan on YouTube after no response from CBFC, despite adhering to a series of modifications they had asked for in the film.