Himalay Dassani on the Lion of Galwan: ‘Got directive that there cannot be China-bashing’

Abhimanyu Dassani. Pics/Instagram, Youtube

Last July, producer Himalay Dassani had shared his plan of making The Lion of Galwan, a movie on Vir Chakra awardee Sepoy Gurtej Singh who lost his life in the 2020 India-China military clash in Galwan Valley (Gung-ho about Galwan, July 22). But almost a year on, things have taken a turn. As India and China witness a tactical thaw in their relations, the producer told mid-day that the film - which was to be led by actor and his son Abhimanyu Dassani - has been indefinitely postponed.

Himalay Dassani

This isn't the first on-screen offering to be impacted by the easing of the two countries' hostilities. Salman Khan's Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, originally titled Battle of Galwan, has reportedly been reshot.

Speaking to mid-day from Tashkent, Himalay said that if he chooses to go ahead with The Lion of Galwan, he will have to follow a certain process. "The India-China relationship is much better today. So, we'll have to revisit the story idea. After we complete the script, we will have to submit it to the Ministry of Defence of India, before we begin shooting. Also, we have received a directive from them that there cannot be China-bashing. So, we need to revisit that angle."

A still from ‘Maatrubhumi'

Is he open to reworking the narrative? To the producer, it's a futile exercise. "If we are not going to get a clearance from the Defence Ministry, there will be no point in telling the story of the Galwan battle as we can't show the correct angle. If the fight and the reasons behind [the clash] are non-existent, what is the use of making a movie on it? So, we have kept it on the backburner."

Abhimanyu Dassani, who was to portray Sepoy Gurtej Singh in ‘The Lion of Galwan', has instead turned his attention to a film that will roll later this year. Himalay Dassani further revealed, "We are also looking at an intense love story for him."