Bollywood meets battlefield; Salman Khan goes soldier mode

Kargil, Sep 9: Bollywood star Salman Khan, who is all set to appear next in the upcoming movie ‘Battle of Galwan’, has officially begun shooting for the film in Ladakh.

The actor arrived in Ladakh last week along with other crew members.

On Tuesday, the actor took to his Instagram and shared a BTS picture from the sets of the film.

The picture shows the actor peeking through the clapperboard.

The 86th scene from the film shows a close-up shot 1 of the actor giving his first take.

Salman can be seen dressed in combat fatigues featuring a jacket with insignia and other layers of the old Personal Camouflage Disruptive Pattern Material (PC DPM).

Since the Galwan stand-off happened in 2020-2021, the character has been dressed accordingly.

The picture also features a wound running down the actor’s side face.

He wrote in the caption, “#BattleOfGalwan”.

‘Battle of Galwan’ is based on the violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers that took place in June 2020.

Salman will play Colonel B Santosh Babu, the officer who led Indian troops during the confrontation.

The film also stars Chitrangda Singh, Zeyn Shaw, Ankur Bhatia, and Harshil Shah.

‘Battle of Galwan’ follows Khan's recent film Sikandar, in which he played a man driven by personal tragedy.

Alongside this, he will also be seen hosting Bigg Boss 19, which began its new season on August 24.

Salman embarked on an ambitious project to film ‘Battle of Galwan,’ a war drama inspired by the real-life clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in June 2020.

The film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia, who describes the project as “a heartfelt tribute to the courage and sacrifice of Indian soldiers”.

The movie is being shot in Ladakh, utilising the region’s breathtaking landscapes to recreate the atmosphere of the Galwan Valley confrontation.

The movie will be shot in locations like Ladakh and Mumbai, with a 25-day schedule in Ladakh, sources said.

Confirmation that filming is underway came from the movie’s director, Apoorva Lakhia, who shared a glimpse from the set on his social media.

The production officially began with a small ritual, marking the start of what is expected to be a demanding schedule.

According to reports, the actor has been going through a lot of training to get used to the physically demanding role, which calls for him to execute strenuous scenes in the rugged, high-altitude landscape of Ladakh.

‘Battle of Galwan’ promises to be an engrossing recounting of one of the most important recent events in India's military history.