Salman Khan's Maatrubhumi trailer launched in Mumbai, film releases 4 December

Salman Khan and his cast launched the trailer of the war film Maatrubhumi at a multiplex in Mumbai on 6 November. The film releases in cinemas on 4 December. The trailer was shown only to the audience at the event; the team said it would go online later because its VFX work was not finished.

Khan played down reports that the government had pressed the makers to change the script. "Yeh sab bakwaas hain," he said, adding that the film is about soldiers and their families on both sides of the border. He said the story has no villains, only difficult circumstances, and that the soldiers put the nation first when a situation turns bad. Asked whether the film is a biopic, he said it is not, and that he wanted a story focused on hand-to-hand fighting between the two armies.

Delays and the VFX question

The film was first set to release on 17 April and has been delayed several times. Khan blamed the VFX work and said people who are not experts often criticise effects in shots they have not zoomed into. He said most of the shoot took place in Ladakh, so the film needed only a small amount of VFX.

Khan also said co-star Chitrangda Singh had an injury that needed physiotherapy, which slowed the shoot. He said the team had expected to finish in 45 to 50 days. He also admitted he had feared the film would never be released, and thanked the Censor Board for passing it without cuts.

On the Ramayana film, Khan said discussion should focus on the story and characters rather than its VFX or budget. He said he keeps reading figures of Rs 4,000 crore and was not sure they were correct.

The event also featured the song "Teri Sexy Beauty", which Khan said reflects how soldiers praise their wives. Director Apoorva Lakhia, who arrived on a walking stick, said he had broken his leg in two places in a paragliding accident.

Khan also said viewers above 75 could watch the film for Rs 11. Whether the film will be shown widely in China has not been addressed by the makers in detail. The release date of 4 December is the latest date announced.