# Tubelight (ट्यूबलाइट) (2017 Hindi film)
**Tubelight** (ट्यूबलाइट) is a 2017 Hindi-language war drama directed and co-written by Kabir Khan, starring [Salman Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/salman-khan) as Laxman Singh Bisht, a simple-minded man in a North Indian hill village who tries to end the 1962 Sino-Indian war and bring his soldier brother home. It was released on 23 June 2017 and is based on the American film *Little Boy*.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [4](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/tubelight/story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 23 June 2017, an Eid release[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [8](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/india/salman-khan-starts-shooting-for-kabir-khan39s-film-of-tube/articleshow/53432378.cms) |
| Director / writers | Kabir Khan; screenplay by Kabir Khan and Parveez Shaikh; dialogues by Manurishi Chadha[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) |
| Lead cast | Salman Khan (Laxman), Sohail Khan (Bharat), Zhu Zhu, Matin Rey Tangu, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Om Puri, with a Shah Rukh Khan cameo[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [4](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/tubelight/story.html) • [5](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tubelight-movie-review-even-if-not-a-salman-khan-fan-watch-1716053) |
| Setting | 1962, during the India–China war; the village of Jagatpur in the Kumaon region (present-day Uttarakhand)[5](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tubelight-movie-review-even-if-not-a-salman-khan-fan-watch-1716053) • [2](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-salman-khan-starrer-tubelight-movie-review-1152055.html) |
| Source material | Inspired by the American war film *Little Boy*, changing its father–son story into one of two brothers[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [2](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-salman-khan-starrer-tubelight-movie-review-1152055.html) |
| Budget | ₹1 billion (₹100 crore) according to TV9 Hindi; IMDb lists an estimated ₹1,550,000,000[3](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/salman-khan-and-sohail-khan-starrer-tubelight-budget-and-box-office-collection-3398489.html) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970) |
| Box office | Worldwide gross of $4,650,456, of which $930,058 came from the United States and Canada opening weekend; TV9 reports earnings only around the budget[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970) • [3](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/salman-khan-and-sohail-khan-starrer-tubelight-budget-and-box-office-collection-3398489.html) |
| Runtime | 136 minutes[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Laxman Singh Bisht (Salman Khan) lives with his younger brother Bharat ([Sohail Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sohail-khan)) in the village of Jagatpur in the Kumaon region, in what is now [Uttarakhand](https://www.edgepedia.org/uttarakhand); their father is in jail in Jodhpur. The brothers have no other family and share a deep bond, with Bharat fiercely protective of Laxman, a simpleton who sees the world in his own way.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [2](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-salman-khan-starrer-tubelight-movie-review-1152055.html)
When war breaks out on the border, Bharat is drafted into the [Indian Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-army) and leaves Laxman behind. News from the border worsens as tension escalates, and the worried Laxman decides he must stop the conflict and get his brother back.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) Villagers, especially a man named Narayan, suspect and hate Laxman's Chinese acquaintances, but Laxman later befriends Guo and Liling.[2](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-salman-khan-starrer-tubelight-movie-review-1152055.html) The NDTV review notes that, in the manner of Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi "Bajrangi" from *Bajrangi Bhaijaan*, Laxman sets out to achieve what more analytical minds would consider foolhardy.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tubelight-movie-review-even-if-not-a-salman-khan-fan-watch-1716053)
The film's stated message, as summarized in the [Hindustan](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan) review, is that with belief even a stone can be moved, and it also addresses the effects of war on people.[2](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-salman-khan-starrer-tubelight-movie-review-1152055.html)
## Production
Shooting began in Ladakh on 28 July 2016, with a crew of about 200 people. It was the third collaboration between Salman Khan and Kabir Khan, after *Ek Tha Tiger* and the 2015 hit *Bajrangi Bhaijaan*, and their first together under the Yash Raj banner was *Ek Tha Tiger*. Before release there were rumors that Salman Khan, then 50, was playing an adult with the mind of a child; the director said the film would mix emotion and humor with a light political background, and it was planned for an Eid release the following year.[8](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/india/salman-khan-starts-shooting-for-kabir-khan39s-film-of-tube/articleshow/53432378.cms)
The crew included cinematographer Aseem Mishra, music by Pritam with lyrics by [Amitabh Bhattacharya](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bhattacharya), editor Rameshwar S. Bhagat, and action directors Glenn Boswell and Aamar Shetty. Salma Khan and Salman Khan produced, with Amar Butala as co-producer. [Yash Raj Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/yash-raj-films) handled international distribution excluding the MENA region, and the production companies were Kabir Khan Films and Salman Khan Films.[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 29% Tomatometer score from 17 reviews and a 50% Popcornmeter score from more than 250 audience ratings.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tubelight) Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave it 3 stars out of 5, writing that the film sputters to life only intermittently but breaks the parameters of conventional Bollywood male bravado by presenting a vulnerable protagonist who lets his heart lead him.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tubelight-movie-review-even-if-not-a-salman-khan-fan-watch-1716053) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tubelight) Namrata Joshi of *The Hindu* found a blandness throughout, with no dramatic peaks or scenes that stay with the viewer, and Lisa Tsering of *The Hollywood Reporter* wrote that a macho Bollywood star trying the role of a developmentally disabled man-child does not end well.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tubelight)
Commercially the film underperformed. TV9 Hindi reports that it did not spread much light in cinemas and earned only around its budget.[3](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/salman-khan-and-sohail-khan-starrer-tubelight-budget-and-box-office-collection-3398489.html) IMDb records a worldwide gross of $4,650,456, with the US and Canada opening weekend (June 25, 2017) accounting for $930,058 of that total.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970)
## Notes on the setting
Yash Raj Films and NDTV both place the story in 1962, the year of the Sino-Indian war, and the NDTV review opens with "The year is 1962. A war is raging on the border with China."[1](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight) • [5](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tubelight-movie-review-even-if-not-a-salman-khan-fan-watch-1716053) Filmibeat Hindi, by contrast, describes the film as based on the 1965 India–China war.[4](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/tubelight/story.html) The film is also known in Chinese as 黎明前的达拉克, and its filming locations included Ladakh, India.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970)
## References
1. [Tubelight Movie – Release Date, Cast & Crew Details, Yash Raj Films](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/movies/tubelight)
2. [MOVIE REVIEW TUBELIGHT, Hindustan (Live Hindustan)](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-salman-khan-starrer-tubelight-movie-review-1152055.html)
3. [Salman Khan and Sohail Khan starrer Tubelight budget and box office collection, TV9 Hindi](https://www.tv9hindi.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/salman-khan-and-sohail-khan-starrer-tubelight-budget-and-box-office-collection-3398489.html)
4. [ट्यूबलाइट कहानी | Tubelight Bollywood Movie Story, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/tubelight/story.html)
5. [Tubelight Movie Review: Even If Not A Salman Khan Fan, Watch, NDTV (Saibal Chatterjee)](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tubelight-movie-review-even-if-not-a-salman-khan-fan-watch-1716053)
6. [Tubelight (2017), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5882970)
7. [Tubelight, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tubelight)
8. [Salman Khan starts shooting for Kabir Khan's film Tubelight, Navbharat Times](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/india/salman-khan-starts-shooting-for-kabir-khan39s-film-of-tube/articleshow/53432378.cms)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2010s › Hindi films of 2017*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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