Hindu Right Outraged Over Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” Film Scene

Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster, “Oppenheimer,” has sparked controversy among India’s Hindu right, prompting some to call for a boycott and others demanding the removal of a particular intimate scene from the movie. The film portrays the story of Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb, through the eyes of its lead character portrayed by Cillian Murphy, with actress Florence Pugh playing his love interest, Jean Tatlock.

The scene in question features a sexual encounter between Murphy and Pugh’s characters, during which Pugh’s character pauses the moment to quote a passage from the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text in Hinduism. She asks Murphy’s character to read the lines aloud, including the famous quote, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” before continuing their intimate scene.

Several right-wing organizations in India have expressed outrage over the scene, with a prominent lawmaker from the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the film of being a “disturbing attack on Hinduism” and part of an alleged “larger conspiracy by anti-Hindu forces.”

According to The Celeb Post, India’s information commissioner, Uday Mahurkar, has also voiced his concerns, likening the incident to “waging a war on the Hindu community.” He released a statement on Saturday, denouncing the scene as “a direct assault on the religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus.” He further urged the filmmakers to consider removing the scene to win the hearts of the Hindu audience and foster a positive connection with them.

Despite the controversy, “Oppenheimer” has received positive reviews from audiences and critics in India. The film’s depiction of the historical events surrounding India’s first nuclear test in 1974 has drawn large crowds to theatres across the country.

As the debate continues, the film’s creators and distributors may face pressure to address the concerns raised by the Hindu right, and the controversy surrounding the film remains a topic of significant interest within the country.