The Hollywood blockbuster treats Hindu scriptures with disrespect, the information commissioner claims
A sex scene from Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster ‘Oppenheimer’ has sparked backlash in India for featuring a quote from Hindu scriptures. Indian Information Commissioner Uday Mahurkar is now demanding the scene be removed worldwide.
‘Oppenheimer’ is a biographical thriller that tells the story of the American creator of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer. In one scene, the titular character is seen having sex with his lover, Jean Tatlock. At one point, they pause intercourse and Tatlock picks up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and asks Oppenheimer to read a quote from it.
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” Oppenheimer’s character reads out, as the pair resume intercourse. The line is later used in the film multiple times.
The inclusion of the quote from one of Hinduism’s holiest scriptures in a sex scene has caused outrage among conservative groups in India, who are now calling for a boycott of the film.
In a statement published on Saturday, Mahurkar, who is also the founder of the Save Culture Save India Foundation, called the scene “a direct assault on religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus” and suggested it is part of a “larger conspiracy by anti-Hindu forces.”
The commissioner also said that Hollywood “is very sensitive” about not depicting the Quran and Islam in a way that could offend Muslims, even when addressing Islamist terrorism. “Why should not the same courtesy be also extended to Hindus?” he asked.
In his letter, Mahurkar addressed Nolan directly and urged him to “remove this scene from your film across the world,” adding that “should you choose to ignore this appeal it would be deemed as a deliberate assault on Indian civilisation.”
Nolan has yet to officially respond to the letter.
So far, ‘Oppenheimer’ has been met with near universal acclaim, scoring 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $80.5 million in the US and Canada, and $93.7 million worldwide during its opening weekend. The film has also proven to be a success in India, where, according to Variety, it has grossed over $3 million, outperforming the film ‘Barbie’ at $1 million.
This is not the first time that a passage from the Bhagavad Gita featured in a Hollywood production has sparked controversy. In 1999, Stanley Kubrick used lines from the book in an orgy scene in the film ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. At the time, Warner Brothers, which produced the film, edited the text out of the soundtrack following protests by Hindu groups.
