Controversy Surrounding Film “Bawaal” for Auschwitz Scene Draws Strong Reactions

A recent Bollywood film titled “Bawaal,” starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor has found itself amid controversy due to a scene drawing inspiration from the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. The film has upset a Jewish organization, which has now written an open letter to Prime Video, urging the streaming platform to take down the movie.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a prominent human rights NGO dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust, expressed its concern over the film’s portrayal of a fantasy sequence set in Auschwitz. The organization deemed it as an “outlandish abuse of the Nazi Holocaust as a plot device.”

In the film, the protagonists find themselves in a gas chamber at Auschwitz, dressed in striped clothing, and are depicted as being suffocated. Additionally, the character of Hitler is used as a metaphor for human greed, with one of the main characters making a contentious statement about everyone having a “Hitler within” due to their greed.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, representing the SWC, condemned the film for trivializing the immense suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims during the Holocaust. He stated that Auschwitz should never be used as a metaphor and is a solemn reminder of humanity’s capacity for evil. Cooper called for the immediate removal of the film from the streaming platform.

The film’s release last week led to social media users expressing their dismay over the insensitive and far-fetched parallel drawn between the lead pair’s romance and the horrors of World War II. Many criticized the film for making inappropriate references to Auschwitz and using Hitler’s name loosely to symbolize human greed.

Varun Dhawan responded to the controversy in a recent interview, defending the film and arguing that similar scenes are depicted in English films without sparking similar reactions. However, the Jewish organization and concerned individuals stress that the sensitivity surrounding the Holocaust should be respected, and any representation should be handled with utmost care and reverence.

The debate over the portrayal of sensitive historical events in movies continues, with advocates of artistic freedom and historical accuracy on one side, and those emphasizing the need for sensitivity and respect on the other.

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