Salman Khan skipped acclimatisation, shot in freezing rain, says Maatrubhumi director

Salman Khan reported to the set of Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace without acclimatising and filmed in freezing rain without extra oxygen, director Apoorva Lakhia has revealed. The actor and the film's team shot in rugged mountain terrain at an altitude of 14,000 feet, where temperatures fell as low as -40 °C.The details emerged after the makers released the film's four-and-a-half-minute trailer on Tuesday evening. Set against the backdrop of the India-China conflict, the film features the 60-year-old actor as an Indian soldier and explores patriotism, sacrifice, the desire for peace and the human cost of war. Chitrangda Singh plays his wife.Recalling one of the most difficult days of filming, Lakhia said in an exclusive statement, “The toughest location was in a place called Taro Plains, just next to the river, where we shot with Salman Sir and the others on the very first day he arrived. It was minus 7 degrees and raining, and the soldiers had to run up a slope."He added, "Salman Sir had just landed the day before and decided to come straight to the set instead of getting acclimatised. We did three takes of him walking up and down in that freezing weather, and he did it without complaining, no extra oxygen, nothing.” The film was shot in high-altitude valleys and alongside icy rivers instead of on studio sets. The locations provide the setting for its combat sequences and its portrayal of the conditions faced by soldiers on the frontlines.What to expect from Maatrubhumi?The trailer presents Khan in an action-heavy role and includes intense combat sequences. It also shows lives lost on both sides, families torn apart and suffering extending beyond the battlefield. Rather than focusing only on the conflict, the narrative examines the emotions and tensions experienced on both sides of the border. It also offers glimpses of the film's dramatic music and picturesque locations. The makers have said the story explores how patriotism and the desire for peace can exist together, while portraying a soldier's resolve and the wider consequences of conflict.Directed by Lakhia and produced under the banner of Salman Khan Films, Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace is scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 4. It will clash with Shraddha Kapoor's Eetha at the box office.- Ends