Bawaal starring Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan has been well-received by the audience in India. The actors have been enjoying appreciation for their acting performances, while Nitesh Tiwari’s vulnerable and emotional way of storytelling has been praised as well.  But the film has also been generating controversy since its release, for the historical references to the Holocaust during World War II and the Auschwitz concentration camp. Now, the film has offended a Jewish organization who have asked for the film to be removed. 

Jewish Organization slams Bawaal starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor

According to Hindustan Times, The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a Jewish human rights organization, is upset over the use of such a traumatic event as the Holocaust to further the plot of the film. In an interview, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC’s Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action said, “Auschwitz is not a metaphor. It is the quintessential example of Man’s capacity for Evil. By having the protagonist in this movie declare that ‘every relationship goes through their Auschwitz,’ Nitesh Tiwari trivializes and demeans the memory of six million murdered Jews and millions of others who suffered at the hands of Hitler’s genocidal regime.”

He has also requested the streaming platfom of Bawaal to remove the film. He added, “If the filmmaker’s goal was to gain PR for their movie by reportedly filming a fantasy sequence at the Nazi death camp, he has succeeded. Amazon Prime should stop monetizing Bawaal by immediately removing this banal trivialization of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust.”

Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor addressed the controversy around Bawaal

Earlier, in an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor had addressed the criticism the film is receiving. Varun said that he respected the opinions of everyone and that his character has been shown as ‘tone-deaf’ and negative. He also added, “Some people got triggered and sensitive about this but I don't understand where that sensitivity or the trigger goes when they watch an English film. They are allowed to do and show everything and you will find that in a correct way."

While Janhvi had stated, ““It’s important to understand the intention, always. And if you misunderstand the intention, that’s what I would call tone-deaf.” She had also shared accounts of people she knew who weren’t offended at all and were instead moved by the film.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Janhvi Kapoor reacts to Auschwitz controversy in Bawaal; says 'Intention has always been pure'