December 4 is shaping up to be a busy Friday at the Hindi box office. Salman Khan’s war drama Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace and Shraddha Kapoor’s biographical drama Eetha are both set to open in theatres that day. Instead of a war of words, the clash has started on a friendly note. Salman shared the Eetha trailer on his Instagram Stories and wrote “All the best for Eetha,” tagging Shraddha, producer Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films.
Maatrubhumi: a long road to release
Maatrubhumi is directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Salman Khan Films, with Jio Studios distributing. It is inspired by the June 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
The film has had a winding journey. It was first announced as Battle of Galwan, and the title was changed to Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace in March 2026. The makers said the new title puts the focus on patriotism and peace. A teaser came out on December 27, 2025, Salman’s birthday, and the film was first scheduled for April 17, 2026. That date was dropped after a reshoot of around 40 days. Several dates were discussed in reports after that before December 4 was locked.
The official trailer arrived on November 10, 2026. India TV reported that it had crossed 32 million views on YouTube by the time of its report.
What the film is about
Salman plays an Indian Army officer inspired by Colonel B. Santosh Babu, the commanding officer who was killed in the Galwan clash and was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. The film is a dramatised account, not a direct biopic. It is loosely based on a chapter of journalist Shiv Aroor’s book India’s Most Fearless, which covers the 2020 standoff.
The story follows an Army unit posted along the Line of Actual Control, the officer’s bond with his men and the hard choices he faces as tensions build. Chitrangda Singh plays a character linked to the officer’s personal life. Zeyn Shaw and Abhishrri Sen are also part of the cast. Principal photography took place in Ladakh and on sets built in Mumbai.
Eetha: the life of a Tamasha legend
Eetha comes from director Laxman Utekar, whose recent work includes Chhaava. The film is produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films. Shraddha Kapoor plays Vithabai Narayangaonkar, the celebrated Marathi Tamasha and Lavani performer whose troupe toured rural Maharashtra for decades and whose name is still linked with the art form.
Randeep Hooda, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Siddharth Jadhav, Ishtiyak Khan and Anant Joshi round out the cast. The trailer shows Shraddha in a role far removed from her usual urban characters, with the music and dance of Tamasha at the centre.
Two very different films on one date
On paper, the films target different moods. Maatrubhumi is a large-scale war drama built around a real military clash and a star with a massive single-screen following. Eetha is a period biopic about a folk artist, backed by a studio that has had a strong run with mid-budget films.
That contrast may help both. Trade watchers often say that clashes hurt most when two films chase the same audience. Here, one film is pitched at fans of action and patriotic stories, the other at viewers looking for drama, music and a strong female lead. Screen sharing will still matter, especially in multiplexes where both films will want prime evening shows.
Why Salman’s gesture got attention
Box office clashes in Bollywood have often turned bitter in the past, with public sniping between camps and fights over screen counts. Salman wishing the rival film luck in public set a different tone. Fans of both actors responded warmly on social media, and the post drew coverage across entertainment sites on November 12.
It also helps both films get more visibility three weeks before release. A trailer shared by Salman reaches a very large audience, and Maddock Films gets free promotion for Eetha at a key moment.
What to expect before December 4
With the trailers out, both teams are expected to step up promotions in the coming weeks, including music launches and city tours. Advance booking usually opens a few days before release, and those early numbers will give the first real sense of how audiences are leaning.
December also brings the year-end holiday weeks, which can give films a longer run in theatres. Whichever way the opening weekend goes, two films with very different flavours arriving together could mean more people heading to theatres that week.
Reporting based on India TV, Free Press Journal, FilmiBeat and the film’s production record.
Featured image: Vyacheslav Argenberg, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
