Salman Khan has announced that Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace will release in theatres on 4 December 2026. He shared the date at the film's trailer launch in Mumbai on Friday, 6 November, ending months of uncertainty over when the film would arrive. The announcement came with a small drama of its own. At the launch, Salman's battle-ready poster carried the words "In Cinemas...", but the new release date, November 20, was covered with tape. Salman soon cleared that up. "We are now coming out on December 4," he announced, catching everyone by surprise. The reason, he explained, was that the film's visual effects work needed more time than anticipated.
Why the film moved to December
Salman said the makers did not want to give anyone a reason to pick apart the film's visuals. "Today, there are a lot of VFX experts out there who examine each and every shot of a film. So, with this film, we don't want to give anyone an opportunity to zoom in on a scene and criticise its VFX. We want this film to visually blow everyone's mind. It is a beautifully shot film," he said. The film's release date has been pushed several times. It was originally scheduled for January this year, then moved to June, then August, and later November 20, before the December 4 announcement at the trailer launch. Salman admitted he had feared at times that the film might never see the light of day. "Yes, I got this thought several times. There were a lot of ups and downs," he said, adding that his only worry was that the delays might take away some of the audience's interest.
No government pressure, says Salman
Salman was firm when addressing rumours that the film had been rewritten to soften its stance against China. "This narrative that we are going against China or that our government has pressured us to change the script or rewrite it... yeh sab bakwaas hai," he said. He said the makers had made a film about soldiers and what they and their families go through, showing that side and the other side too. "So, there are no negative forces here. Only their circumstances are such. And for these soldiers, the nation comes first," he said. Salman also thanked the censor board and the various ministries for clearing the film without cuts. "When the censor board and all the agencies saw it, they didn't feel that anything was wrong with the film. So, this film has come out without any cuts," he said.
What the film is about
Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace is inspired by the June 15-16, 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The film was first announced under the title Battle of Galwan, then renamed Maatrubhumi, and now carries the full title Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace. One line in the trailer sums up the film's intended message: "Insaaniyat aur deshbhakti dushman khatam karne mein nahi, dushmani khatam karne mein hai." The line also explains the film's new tagline, "May War Rest in Peace". Salman clarified that the film is not a biopic, though earlier reports had suggested he would play Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who lost his life alongside 19 other soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment during the Galwan clash. Instead, he said, the film draws inspiration from a line his father Salim Khan once told him: "In war, a bullet reaches its target; it reaches the mother's heart."
The cast and the clash ahead
The film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Salman Khan Films, with Jio Studios handling its all-India theatrical distribution. It also stars Chitrangda Singh, Mukesh Rishi, Ankur Bhatia, Zeyn Shaw and Abhilash Chaudhary. For Chitrangda Singh, Maatrubhumi marks her first pairing with Salman. Coming from an army family herself, she said she was happy to be part of a story about soldiers and their families. Salman praised the pairing, saying, "Chemistry mein punch hai," and hinted the two might share screen space again. With its new release date, the film will now clash at the box office with Shraddha Kapoor's biographical drama Eetha, which is also slated to hit theatres on December 4. After a journey through several titles and several release dates, Maatrubhumi finally has a date the makers are standing by.
