[Warning: this post contains spoilers for Oppenheimer]
Everyone knew “now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” was going to be in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. But I don’t think anyone expected it in that context.
The quote, which J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) recited from the Bhagavad Gita, is first said during a sex scene between the theoretical physicist and Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh. It’s a memorable (and surprisingly spicy) moment in the film, but some are calling for it to be removed.
India’s Information Commissioner and Save Culture Save India Foundation founder Uday Mahurkar, a member of a Hindu nationalist party, criticized the scene for being a “scathing attack on Hinduism” over the weekend. “The Bhagwad Geeta is one of the most revered scriptures of Hinduism. Geeta has been the inspiration for countless sanyasis, brahmcharis and legends who live a life of self-control and perform selfless noble deeds,” he tweeted. “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.”
The scene is reportedly being censored in India:
As reviews and reactions to the film roll in, Twitter users in India discussed how the film had been censored for the market. A nude scene featuring cast member Florence Pugh as psychiatrist and physician Jean Tatlock was singled out. According to a screenshot shared by a Twitter user, Pugh’s nudity was concealed by the post-production painting on of a black dress.
Mahurkar, who praised Nolan for his “art of filmmaking,” is asking the director to “remove this scene from your film across [the] world.” If he ignores the request, “it would be deemed as a deliberate assault on Indian civilization.”
I guess Barbie wasn’t the most controversial movie of the weekend after all.
(Via CNN)