Israel Ambassador slams Varun Dhawan starrer Bawaal

The controversy around Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor starrer Bollywood movie Bawaal is refusing to die down. On July 28, Friday, the Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon took to Twitter to slam the movie makers for trivialising the suffering of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. He cautioned those who aren’t aware of the Holocaust to ‘educate themselves’.

“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. Trivialization 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 tweeted.

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.
Trivialization 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.

— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) July 28, 2023

Notably, on the same day, the Israeli embassy in India also issued a statement criticising the movie. It mentioned that they are ‘disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust’ in Bawaal. “There was a poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie, and though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it,” the statement read.

“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 statement added.

The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie ‘Bawaal’.

There was a poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie, and though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be…

— Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) July 28, 2023

Jewish rights organisation demands removal of movie Bawaal from Amazon Prime

This came a day after a Jewish organisation has written an open letter to Prime Video to take down the movie from the OTT platform and not make money from the movie which trivialises the ‘suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust’.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a human rights NGO dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust, has requested Amazon Prime Video to remove the movie Bawaal for using the Holocaust as a plot device. 

The Nitesh Kumar venture has been the subject of controversies ever since it was released. Heavy criticism was levelled at the film for trivialising Jewish oppression during the Nazi regime under Hitler. The storyline has provoked international outcry for its callous portrayal of Nazi Germany’s brutality towards Jews and for utilising their persecution as a mere plot device to motivate character development.

Team Bawaal defends the movie

After the backlash, Varun Dhawan, who plays the lead role in the movie along with the film’s director Nitesh Tiwari defended the movie in an interview with Pinkvilla. While Nitish Tiwari said that he is “a bit disappointed with the way some people have comprehended it”, actor Varun Dhawan remarked, “Some people got trigged or sensitive about this. But I don’t understand where does that sensitivity or trigger go when they watch, suppose an English film, I’m saying for example. They’re allowed to do everything there, they’re allowed to take leaps and they’re allowed to show things in a certain way, but you’ll find that correct.”