Remove Bawaal From OTT: Jewish Human Rights Group Slams Film

The film Bawaal, starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, has caused controversy as it includes a fantasy sequence set at a Nazi death camp, specifically drawing inspiration from Auschwitz. This scene has received criticism from a segment of the audience for its insensitivity towards the historical context.

In response to the backlash, a Jewish organisation has written an open letter to Prime Video, urging the OTT platform to remove the movie from its platform. The organisation emphasises that the film's inclusion of such a scene trivialises and undermines the immense suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims during the Nazi Holocaust.

 The Simon Wiesenthal Centre (SWC), a human rights NGO dedicated to honouring the memory of Nazi Holocaust victims, has called on Prime Video to take down the film Bawaal, citing its inappropriate and insensitive use of the Nazi Holocaust as a plot device.

Bawaal Controversy 

The film, directed by renowned Indian filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, is set in contemporary times and features scenes where the characters enter a gas chamber at Auschwitz and experience suffocation while wearing striped clothing. The movie employs Hitler as a metaphor to depict human greed, with the main protagonist likening everyone to Hitler, saying, "We're all a little like Hitler, aren't we?"

The SWC expressed concern that such usage of the Nazi Holocaust in a fictional and outlandish manner trivialises the historical tragedy and disregards the suffering of millions of victims. In light of this, the organisation urges Prime Video to remove the film from its platform.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, representing the SWC, strongly criticised the film and its director, Nitesh Tiwari, in the open letter. He expressed deep disapproval for the film's usage of Auschwitz as a metaphor, stating firmly that Auschwitz is not a mere metaphor but rather the epitome of humanity's capacity for evil. Rabbi Cooper condemned the movie's protagonist for declaring that "Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz," as it trivialises and diminishes the memory of the 6 million Jews and countless others who were brutally murdered and suffered under Hitler's genocidal regime.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper continued to emphasise the film's trivialization of the Holocaust, expressing his concern that the filmmakers may have pursued controversy and publicity by reportedly filming a fantasy sequence at the Nazi death camp. According to him, if this was indeed the filmmaker's intention, they have achieved their goal. However, he strongly urges Amazon Prime (Prime Video) to stop profiting from the movie and take immediate action by removing this shallow and banal representation that undermines and trivialises the immense suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims during the Nazi Holocaust.

In the latest string of backlash, the Israeli embassy in India has now responded to the controversy surrounding Bawaal. Harshly criticising the film, their statement read, "It trivialises the genocide of six million Jews in World War II. The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the movie ‘Bawaal’."

Suggested Reading: Bawaal Controversy: 3 Reasons Why The Film Is Causing Outrage