Varun Dhawan stars as the main character in “Bawaal,” a film directed by Nitesh Tiwari, currently streaming on Prime Video. However, a certain part of the movie that draws parallels to “Auschwitz” and emphasizes on relationships has faced strong criticism. Jewish human rights organizations and some members of the public have expressed their concerns, urging the movie’s removal from the streaming platform.
According to these critics, the usage of the word “Auschwitz” as a metaphor to describe relationship issues goes beyond trivializing the horrors of historical events and is seen as insensitive and inappropriate.
According to a segment of the audience, the scenario has trivialized the “suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust.”The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a human rights NGO dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust, urged Prime Video to remove the film ‘Bawaal’.
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The film, helmed by renowned Indian director Nitesh Tiwari, takes place in modern times and includes a powerful scene where the characters venture into a gas chamber at Auschwitz while wearing striped attire and experience suffocation.
The protagonist asks his wife, “Don’t we all bear some resemblance to Hitler?” in the movie, which uses Hitler as a metaphor for human avarice. This statement provides details on the movie’s plot, setting, and use of metaphors to convey the topic of human greed.
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VARUN’S RESPONSE TO THE CONTROVERSY
In an open letter, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of SWC strongly criticized the film and director Nitesh Tiwari. He emphasized that “Auschwitz is not a metaphor” and stated that it represents the epitome of humanity’s capacity for evil. Rabbi Cooper expressed his concern that by using the word “Auschwitz” in the movie to describe relationship challenges, Nitesh Tiwari trivializes and diminishes the memory of the 6 million Jews and millions of others who suffered and lost their lives under Hitler’s genocidal regime.
In ‘Bawaal’, the lead actors imagine themselves in a gas chamber at a Nazi camp, dressed in striped clothing. Hitler is often depicted as a representation of excessive human desire and selfishness.
In response to the backlash, Varun Dhawan defended the scene. He suggested that people are selectively sensitive and overlook similar scenes in English films. He questioned the critics’ lack of sensitivity when it comes to other movies and called for a fair perspective.
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