"Remove Bawaal from Prime Video": Jewish human rights group condemns Varun Dhawan film over Auschwitz scene

Nitesh Tiwari’s Bawaal, starring Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, has landed now in controversy "internationally" as the Jewish human rights body Simon Wiesenthal Center has objected to the way the film has been narrated with the film’s lead characters travelling to World War 2 sites and visit a gas chamber in Auschwitz.

 

 

 

 

It should be noted that the lead characters are shown inside a gas chamber in a dream-like sequence with visuals where they are struggling to breathe. In one scene, Janhvi’s character Nisha says, “We’re all a little like Hitler, aren’t we?” when speaking about human greed. And in another scene, the character is heard saying, “Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz” implying that every relationship has its struggles.

 

Simon Wiesenthal Center is a Jewish human rights organisation that defends the safety of Jews worldwide and calls out anti-Semitism and hate. The organisation also works towards preserving the memory of those who were killed during the Holocaust. SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action, Rabbi Abraham Cooper has asked Amazon to “stop monetising” Bawaal with immediate effect and called the film a “banal trivialisation of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust.”

 

He said, “Auschwitz is not a metaphor. It is the quintessential example of Man’s capacity for Evil.” The statement further read, “By having the protagonist in this movie declare that ‘Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz,’ Nitesh Tiwari, trivializes and demeans the memory of 6 million murdered Jews and millions of others who suffered at the hands of Hitler’s genocidal regime.”

 

“If the filmmaker’s goal was to gain PR for their movie by reportedly filming a fantasy sequence at the Nazi death camp, he has succeeded. Amazon Prime should stop monetizing Bawaal by immediately removing this banal trivialization of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust,” the statement concluded.

In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Varun said, “Some people got trigged or sensitive about this. But I don't understand where does that sensitivity or trigger go when they watch, suppose an English film, I'm saying for example. They're allowed to do everything there, they're allowed to take leaps and they're allowed to show things in a certain way, but you'll find that correct. I know people have got very triggered after watching a small scene in a brilliant film, recently released. It's a scene that's important to our culture and our country. But that's okay for you. You don't feel they should be more sensitive to you? So where does your criticism go then?”