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Israel ambassador reacts to Auschwitz- Holocaust reference of Bawal: 'Won't watch'
The Israeli embassy said it has been disturbed by the trivialisation of the Holocaust in Bollywood movie Bawal.
Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon on Friday commented on the Holocaust row over Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Bawal and said though he has not watched the movie, the trivialisation of the Holocaust should disturb all. "I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what I’ve read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialisation of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who don’t know enough about the horrors of the #Holocaust to educate themselves about it," the ambassador wrote.
The movie since its release on an OTT platform has drawn flak for bringing the Auschwitz metaphor into a relationship problem as the main characters dropped Hitler's name in a dialogue like 'We are all a little like Hitler". “Every relationship goes through its Auschwitz," is another dialogue from the movie. The characters, in the movie, fall in love as they travel together to Europe and visit second world war sites.
“Our embassy is constantly working to propagate educational materials on this crucial subject, and we are open to engaging in conversations with all individuals to foster a better understanding of the universal lessons derived from the Holocaust," the embassy tweeted.
A Jewish organisation -- The Simon Wiesenthal Center -- has written to Amazon Prime asking it to stop streaming the movie for its insensitive portrayal of the Holocaust.
"By having the protagonist in this movie declare that 'Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz', Nitesh Tiwari [the director], trivialises and demeans the memory of six million murdered Jews and millions of others who suffered at the hands of Hitler's genocidal regime," the statement said.
Varun Dhawan, director Nitesh Tiwari's defence
Actor Varun Dhawan referred to the Bhagavad Gita scene in Oppenheimer and asked where the audience's criticism goes when they watch an English movie. Director Nitesh Tiwari said if a work of art is seen with a magnifying glass, then there will be problems in every art.
