The summer of 2023 is single-handedly reviving the box office around the world. The weekend witnessed two of the biggest Hollywood releases. One was Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie.’ While the latter is garnering praise and exceeding box office expectations, the former is caught up in controversy.
‘Oppenheimer’ is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s book ‘American Prometheus.’ The film is big for Christopher Nolan, as he claims not to use CGI to recreate the first nuclear detonation at Los Alamos. Among other things, J. Robert Oppenheimer believed in and read the Hindu scripture ‘Bhagavad Gita.’ The quote about him being a destroyer went viral, but the Hindus in India are taking offense and deeming it a religious assault on Hindus’ faith.
Related: How Are Oppenheimer And Einstein Related?
Indian Politicians Have Condemned The S** Scene In ‘Oppenheimer’
‘Oppenheimer’ is gaining box-office pace and praise for its stellar story-telling and filmmaking, with some calling Nolan’s venture bold. The film has garnered $174 million in four days. While in other parts of the world, ‘Barbie’ was estimated to have a higher opening, ‘Oppenheimer’ was winning the race in India.
While Hindus praised Nolan for the inclusion of the Bhagavad Gita in the film, the film is receiving criticism for the s** scene where Florence Pugh asks Cillian Murphy to read a quote from the holy scripture.
In the film, during a meeting of the American Communist Party, J. Robert Oppenheimer meets Jean Tatlock. The two go to a private room to indulge in s**. During the mid-scene, she gets up, goes to his bookshelf, and spots the Bhagavad Gita. She asks him to read the scripture to him while they fornicate again. Oppenheimer reads the famous quote by Krishna, “I become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
. @OppenheimerATOM
To,
Mr Christopher Nolan
Director , Oppenheimer filmDate : July 22, 2023
Reg: Film Oppenheimer’s disturbing attack on Hinduism
Dear Mr Christopher Nolan,
Namaste from Save Culture Save India Foundation.
It has come to our notice that the movie…
— Uday Mahurkar (@UdayMahurkar) July 22, 2023
In a letter on Twitter, Uday Mahurkar, a journalist and information commissioner, condemned the scene. He called it “a direct assault on the religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus.” Information and Culture Minister Anurag Thakur calls for action against the Central Board of Film Certification.
In Case You Missed: “It’s Not CGI”: Christopher Nolan Hints At How They Filmed The Atomic Bomb Scene For ‘Oppenheimer’
Netizens Call Out The Film For The S** Scene
During the promotion of ‘Oppenheimer,’ Cillian Murphy admitted to reading the Bhagavad Gita. He said, “I did read the Bhagavad Gita in preparation, and I thought it was an absolutely beautiful text, very inspiring. I think it was a consolation to him, he kind of needed it and it provided him a lot of consolation all his life.”
Despite the praise for the filmmaking and performances, it received a lot of flak for the fleeting scene.
I’m calling for a boycott of the movie Oppenheimer. I just learned there is a highly offensive scene involving the Bhagavad Gita in it. I will not repeat it here, but it involves something explicit. Never trust Hollywood and West to depict Hinduism positively and accurately.
— Indian-Americans (@HinduAmericans) July 20, 2023
Bhagvad Gita is read during s€x in Oppenheimer movie. They always target our religion for no reason😡😡😡
Censor board should have restricted it. pic.twitter.com/OUFmHTRCh3— Naveen Kumar 🇮🇳 (@stellar_naveen) July 22, 2023
Why was it necessary to do a scene with Florence Pugh holding Bhagvad Gita and Cillian reciting it while having sex???? Oppenheimer is a great movie overall but this part was extremely disappointing.
— Lavanya (@dlostmannequin) July 21, 2023
Oppenheimer himself would take offense at that strange scene, given his deep respect for the Bhagavad Gita.
Nolan seems to have disregarded Oppenheimer's deep interests in religion and philosophy. Obviously, he would not present the Tanakh, Bible, or Koran in a similar manner. https://t.co/j6lHwklwuA
— Onkara ♡ (@sacredrain) July 24, 2023
@OppenheimerFilm was great, but ALL the sex scenes were so random and absurd!
Why the hell are you putting Oppenheimer's most famous, most profound quote of the Bhagvad Gita, "I am become death destroyer of worlds," with Jean Tatlock having sex with him?! WTF?! @UniversalPics— C (@shayaribyc) July 23, 2023
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