Oppenheimer controversy: Netizens slam Nolan's film for placing Bhagavad Gita in a sex scene

Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb thriller Oppenheimer hit theatres worldwide on July 21. The most-anticipated film opened with outstanding reviews from critics and audiences alike. However, Nolan's film has caused major controversy in India with an objectionable scene mentioning the holy book Bhagavad Gita.

The scene in question?

The scene that didn't land well with the Indian audience shows the mention of holy verses fromBhagavad Gita during the sex scene. The scenein question shows J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, quoting a line from the book while having sex with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) as the latter holds up the manuscript.

The controversial scene has angered the audience, who have called out Nolan for hurting religious sentiments and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for not putting a cut on the objectionable scene.

Expressing displeasure over the scene, one Twitter user wrote, ''Hindus have been celebrating the mention of theBhagavad Gita in the Oppenheimer movie, but they are left angry and perplexed at the blatant disrespect of the Gita by Hollywood. Mentioning holy verses while having sex is considered disrespectful and racist.#BoycottOpenheimer.''

The audience was left perplexed when they saw the nude scene in the film with a blurred patch and objectionable words like as****e muted. But the scene in which Murphy reads the verses while making love was kept without any cuts, as it's a bit obvious that the blasphemy scene could create a major controversy among Indian movie buffs.

A Twitter user also claimed that CBFC only asked for the word "as****e" to be muted. And the blurring of the sex scene was done by the makers before it was shown to the certification members.

''The studios are now assuming CBFC’s stance and self-censoring, even though in Oppenheimer CBFC didn’t ask for a controversial scene involving the Gita to be cut. They should have taken a chance,'' a Twitter user wrote

Another user wrote, ''Censor board has chopped the abusive words in Oppenheimer movie but it has allowed the scene where the main lead actor is having sex while reading Bhagavad Gita.''

Soon after the scene went viral, #BoycottOppenheimer started trending.

Calling out the scene, another user tweeted, “I’m calling for a boycott of the movie Oppenheimer. I just learned there is a highly offensive scene involving the Bhagavad Gita in it. I will not repeat it here, but it involves something explicit. Never trust Hollywood and West to depict Hinduism positively and accurately.''

Apart from the controversial scene, the Bhagavad Gita has been mentioned several times in the film.

Oppenheimer and Gita's connection

The film is based on the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, aka the father of the atomic bomb, who was greatly influenced by the Bhagavad Gita.It is believed thathe always kept a copy of the book by his bedside.

Oppenheimer even learned the Sanskrit language to read the book in its original text. After he witnessed the world’s first atomic bomb in 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer quoted a verse from the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I become Death, destroyer of the worlds".

Cillian Murphy read the Bhagavad Gita for preparation

While preparing for the role, Murphy also read the book and drew inspiration from the Hindu sacred book. In an interview with journalist Sucharita Tyagi, Cillian Murphy revealed that he read the book and found it really helpful.

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