Mahabharata Actor Nitish Bhardwaj Defends Nolan's Use Of The Bhagavad Gita In Oppenheimer
However, taking a different stance on the issue, Nitish Bhardwaj who played the role of Lord Krishna in Mahabharata has made a statement defending the use of the line from the Bhagavad Gita in Oppenheimer.
As Oppenheimer graced the big screen on July 21, it also unleashed a plethora of controversies regarding its reference to the holy book of Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita. During a sex scene in the film, the protagonist Cillian Murphy says a line from the holy book while being intimate with Jean Tatlock, a love interest of Robert Oppenheimer's played by Florence Pugh.
This led to outrage by Indian fans who disapproved of the Bhagavad Gita being used during a lovemaking scene, and many publicly expressed disgust over the issue. It escalated to the point that the ministry of Information and Broadcasting also took a stand on the matter.
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Information Commissioner Uday Mahurkar shared his opinion on Twitter and wrote an open letter to the film's director Christopher Nolan.
. @OppenheimerATOM
¡ª Uday Mahurkar (@UdayMahurkar) July 22, 2023
To,
Mr Christopher Nolan
Director , Oppenheimer film
Date : July 22, 2023
Reg: Film Oppenheimer¡¯s disturbing attack on Hinduism
Dear Mr Christopher Nolan,
Namaste from Save Culture Save India Foundation.
It has come to our notice that the movie¡
However, taking a different stance on the issue, Nitish Bhardwaj who played the role of Lord Krishna in Mahabharata has made a statement defending the use of the line from the Bhagavad Gita in Oppenheimer.
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In conversation with ETimes, he said, "Gita fundamentally teaches a sense of duty in the middle of a battlefield. Metaphorically, our life struggles, mainly emotional, are the battlefields. The shloka 11.32 was also told to Arjun to do his duty as a warrior, which is to fight the evil. Krishna¡¯s entire shloka must be understood properly. He says that I am the eternal time who will kill everything; so everyone will die even if you don¡¯t kill them. So do your duty."
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"When Oppenheimer created the atom bomb & it was used to kill most of Japan¡¯s population, he was himself questioning whether he did his duty properly ! His famous interview showed him in tears, which means that he had probably regretted his own invention. He probably saw that his invention will destroy the human race in future & he was probably remorseful. The use of this verse in the film should also be understood from Oppenheimer¡¯s emotional state of mind. A scientist thinks of his creation 24x7x365 days, irrespective of what he is doing. His mind space is consumed fully of his creation & the physical act is just a natural mechanical act," he added.
Life Magazine (J. Robert Oppenheimer)
He urged people to understand the complexities of a scientist's mind and correct their opinion on the film's message.
"I appeal to people to think of this emotional aspect of Oppenheimer¡¯s important moments of life. Isn¡¯t he proved correct that now we see all the explosive technologies killing our own race - for human greed of territorial & commercial superiority, without any sense of larger duty as an individual or a nation or a planet. The situation today is the same as Kurukshetra, which is why the Brahmins & Kshatriyas consciously did not propagate the Veda of warfare - Dhanurveda. The UN must enforce nuclear disarmament seriously. Nolan¡¯s message is loud & clear!," he said.
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