The Bollywood film Bawaal has been facing criticism since the time its teaser was out. The film has been citicized for its portrayal of the Holocaust. On social media too, users trolled the Nitesh Tiwari directed film for its tone-deaf treatment of World War II and unwanted comparisons of marriage with the horrors of Auschwitz.
Earlier, The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, criticised the film for "outlandish abuse of the Nazi Holocaust as a plot device" and urged Amazon Prime to remove the film from its platform. Facing a fresh criticism, Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon has criticised the film in his long tweet which read, "The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie 'Bawaal'”.
Furthermore, Gilon added that he has and will not watch the film but urged everyone even those who are not fully aware of the “horrors of the Holocaust” to get knowledge about it.
In a long post, he wrote, “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 fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it.”
“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 post from Ambassador of Israel to India read.
'Bawaal, a romantic drama, is set against the backdrop of World War 2. In the movie, Varun is seen playing a history teacher who takes Janhvi Kapoor's character on a trip to Europe to visit World War 2 sites. It was shot in Paris, Berlin, Poland, Amsterdam, Krakow, Warsaw, Lucknow, and two other cities in India. The film was released on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video on July 21. In history, the Holocaust refers to the genocide of Jews in Nazi Germany.
Last year, Gilon had launched a scathing attack on his fellow countryman and filmmaker Nadav Lapid for calling 'The Kashmir Files' “propaganda" and "vulgar" at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI). 'The Kashmir Files' was screened at IFFI on November 22 as a part of the Indian Panorama Section. IFFI Jury Head Nadav Lapid, at the closing ceremony of the film festival had called the film 'Kashmir Files' "propaganda, vulgar".
(With inputs from agencies)
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