Exclusive | Apoorva Lakhia reacts to title of Salman Khan's Battle of Galwan changing to Maatrubhumi: Not an overnight..
Director Apoorva Lakhia talks to HT City and reveals why the title of Salman Khan's Battle of Galwan has been changed to Maatrubhumi.
All Salman Khan fans received a surprise today on Monday, when the actor announced that he has re-titled his next film. Originally marketed as Battle of Galwan, the film's title has now been changed to Maatrubhumi (Motherland): May War Rest In Peace.

Talking exclusively to HT City on why the sudden decision, the film's director Apoorva Lakhia says that this hasn't happened out of the blue. “Changing the title may feel sudden to SK sir's fans, but it was never an overnight decision. From the start, we had registered two titles- Battle of Galwan and Maatrubhumi. As we went through the journey of making our film, we realised it was never just about a battle. At its heart, the film is about humanity, empathy, and the silent battles our soldiers fight.”
The film, co starring Chitrangda Singh, is based on the 2020 conflict between India and China. It had courted controversy earlier this month, when state-backed media in China, after the film's teaser release, had claimed that it “distorts facts”, fueling anti-China sentiment.
Apoorva further tells us, "Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace captures that emotion and sacrifice far more truthfully. It reflects the soul of the story — preserving humanity even in the face of conflict. There’s also a song in the film by the same name, and the love it has received from audiences made the title feel even more right.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORRishabh SuriRishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More

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