Oppenheimer’s 15-minute sex scene prompts Hindu calls for a boycott of the film because Cillian Murphy reads from the Scriptures
- An Indian official said a scene at Oppenheimer was an ‘anti-Hindu conspiracy’
- During a sex scene in the film, Oppenheimer reads from the Bhagavad Gita
A sex scene in Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster Oppenheimer, featuring the sacred text of Hinduism, has been branded a “direct attack” on the religion as angry supporters call for a boycott of the film.
“Oppenheimer,” which tells the story of physicist Robert Oppenheimer, was released in theaters last Friday but sparked excitement among those who disliked the treatment of the sacred text, the Bhagavad Gita.
In the scene, Oppenheimer’s wife asks him to read Scripture aloud during intercourse, leading him to recite a line he is famous for describing his creation of the atomic bomb: “I have become death, destroyer of worlds.”
Uday Mahurkar, the founder of Save Culture Save India Foundation, wrote an open letter to Nolan on Saturday, which was widely shared within a day.
In it he described the decision to include the scene in the film as “a scathing attack on Hinduism” and part of an “anti-Hindu conspiracy”.
Some Hindus have condemned Christopher Nolan’s new film Oppenheimer for using Hindu religious text in a sex scene between Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh. The couple is depicted in a still from the film
Uday Mahurkar (pictured), founder of the Save Culture Save India Foundation, called the scene “a scathing attack on Hinduism” and part of an “anti-Hindu conspiracy”.
“We do not know the motivation and logic behind this unnecessary scene in the life of a scientist.” But this is a direct attack on the religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus,” he wrote.
“It amounts to a war against the Hindu community and almost seems part of a larger conspiracy by anti-Hindu forces,” he added, before asking Nolan to remove the scene from his film.
According to the government website, Mahurkar is also a Hindu government official and holds the position of Information Commissioner.
“Should you ignore this appeal, it would be seen as a deliberate attack on Indian civilization,” Mahurkar wrote.
The film has been awarded a U/A certificate by India’s Central Board of Film Certification, meaning that it contains moderate adult themes and can be viewed by a child under 12 with parental supervision.
In the US, the film is rated R, meaning it is believed to be partly adult-only. In the UK, the film was rated 15 for “rare nudity and sexual content”.
Mahurkar addressed the open letter to the film’s director, Christopher Nolan (pictured), demanding that the “unnecessary” scene be removed from the film
While Nolan’s film focuses on the development of the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project, it also explores the physicist’s personal life
While Nolan’s film focuses on the development of the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project, it also explores the physicist’s personal life and his relationship with his wife, Kitty.
The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu text that is considered one of the most sacred.
Other Indians also called for a boycott.
“I am calling for a boycott of the film Oppenheimer.” I just found out that there is a highly offensive scene with the Bhagavad Gita in it. “I won’t repeat it here, but it’s about something explicit,” wrote one user.
In 1999, the Bhagavad Gita was similarly used by Hollywood under controversial circumstances.
The lines “For the protection of the virtuous, the destruction of evil, and the firm establishment of the Dharma, I am born from age to age and incarnate on earth” were used during a sex scene in Stanley Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut.
Warner Brothers has since edited out the lines.