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‘Oppenheimer’ Movie Sparks Major Controversy Over Bhagavad Gita Sex Scene: Inside Backlash
A scene in the box office hit film Oppenheimer is sparking great debate among viewers. The movie, which stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, features a controversial sex scene as the actor reads a passage from the sacred Sanskrit scripture Bhagavad Gita. While some viewers are outraged by the scene, others believe there is a good reason behind the message.
What Happens In the Controversial ‘Oppenheimer’ Bhagavad Gita Scene?
The Christopher Nolan film featured an intimate moment between Cillian’s character and Jean Tatlock, who is played by Florence Pugh.
During the sex scene, Florence’s character asks Oppenheimer to read a verse from the Bhagavad Gita. Although the holy book was censored in the camera frame, the theoretical physicist quoted, “Now, I am become Death, destroyer of the world.”
Why is the ‘Oppenheimer’ Bhagavad Gita Scene Sparking Controversy?
The Bhagavad Gita is holy to Hindus and critics claim the NSFW scene was disrespectful to their beliefs.
India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Thakur, has publicly shared his disliking of the “objectionable” scene and demanded an answer on why the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) approved Oppenheimer’s release in India.
Additionally, India’s Information Commissioner, Uday Mahurkar, shared his concerns about the scene in a lengthy tweet directed to Christopher, the film’s director, on July 22. The online note “urged” Christopher to “do all that is needed to uphold dignity of their revered book” and remove the scene indefinitely “around the world.”
“The Bhagwad Geeta is one of the most revered scriptures of Hinduism. Geeta has been the inspiration for countless sanyasis, brahmacharis and legends who live a life of self-control and perform selfless noble deeds,” Uday wrote. “We do not know the motivation and logic behind this unnecessary scene on life of a scientist. But this is a direct assault on religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus, rather it amounts to waging a war on the Hindu community and almost appears to be part of a larger conspiracy by anti-Hindu forces.”
That being said, other Indian public figures have backed the controversial scene, claiming it was an important message within the film and in history.
Actor Nitish Bharadwaj urged people to “think of the emotional aspect of Oppenheimer’s important moments in life” during a July interview.
“When Oppenheimer created the atom bomb & it was used to kill most of Japan’s population, he was himself questioning whether he did his duty properly! His famous interview showed him in tears, which means that he had probably regretted his own invention,” Nitish explained.” He probably saw that his invention will destroy the human race in future & he was probably remorseful. The use of this verse in the film should also be understood from Oppenheimer’s emotional state of mind.”
