Makers Unlikely to Apologize for Oppenheimer’s Bhagavad Gita Scene, Opined Nearly 42%

Oppenheimer, a sprawling 180-minute biographical drama directed by Christopher Nolan, has been packing theaters for the past four weeks. Shortly after its release, the film crossed the $500 million mark at the global box office.

This Nolan movie has been well received worldwide, as the box office collection already shows, but that has not stopped controversies from surfacing. The 12th movie from the acclaimed filmmaker tells the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the renowned American theoretical physicist often known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” It explores the bureaucratic challenges he encountered following the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Oppenheimer has been praised for how accurate its story is to the real-life events it is based on. Despite that, the movie initially faced backlash for omitting to depict the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in Japan. While the film discusses these events extensively in the lead-up and aftermath, including meetings about target locations and casualties, it refrains from visually depicting the bombings. But, Nolan clarified that the omission was tied to how Oppenheimer found out about them in real life.

The most attention-grabbing controversy, however, isn’t about the deaths and destruction unleashed by Oppenheimer’s inventions. It revolves around an intimate scene between Oppenheimer and Jean Tatlock, where she holds up the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Sanskrit scripture, as the two were intimate, and the titular character recites the verse from the scripture:

“Now, I become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

A line from the 32nd verse in the 11th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita (11.32), that loosely translates to “I am time, the cause of world-destruction, mighty; come here to annihilate the worlds.”

This scene holds a reference to both the character and the movie plot due to its strategic placement. After encountering Tatlock at a communist party and engaging in an extramarital affair, Oppenheimer faces numerous obstacles in his professional and personal life due to dilemmas and self-doubt. In a state of confusion, he reads the text aloud, symbolizing the eventual evolution of his character.

In the context of the Gita, similar to Oppenheimer, Arjuna grapples with self-doubt and hesitates to enter the war. Krishna speaks these verses, motivating Arjuna. Inspired, Arjuna takes up arms after Krishna unveils his “universal form” (Viswarupam), revealing himself as the almighty.

After the movie’s release, this scene sparked anger among certain Indian viewers. The inclusion of the revered ancient Hindu scripture upset many, leading the Information Commissioner of India to address Nolan in an open letter. In the letter, the scene was labeled blasphemous and characterized as a “disturbing attack on Hinduism.” The commissioner appealed to the director for the worldwide removal of the scene.

Moreover, some social media users advocated for a boycott of Oppenheimer. The scene’s placement within a context of infidelity and adultery, along with the Bhagavad Gita’s portrayal, has disturbed certain Hindus. They perceive it as an affront to their beliefs and have been demanding its removal from the film. However, some moviegoers and film enthusiasts believe this scene enhances the plot’s narrative and intensifies the representation of the titular character.

While the internet was divided over opinions and reactions regarding a particular scene from Christopher Nolan’s new movie “Oppenheimer,” Real Research, an online survey app, conducted a survey to gain a clear understanding of the viewpoints surrounding the controversy. The survey on “Public Opinion on Oppenheimer’s Gita Scene as an Attack On Hinduism” aimed to determine whether the backlash would prompt the makers to issue an apology and potentially remove the scene from the movie.

Read on to find out what people across the world think about this controversy and the representation of the Bhagavad Gita in Oppenheimer.

Highlights

• 51.91% were well aware of the controversy over Oppenheimer’s Bhagavad Gita scene
• The makers will probably not apologize for the scene, opined 41.55%
• According to 35.59%, #BoycottOppenheimer is an overreaction

Aware and Concerned

The findings of the survey revealed that a whopping majority of 51.19% are well-informed about the controversy over Oppenheimer’s Bhagavad Gita scene, 28.5% have some awareness, and 20.31% are completely unaware.

Based on the massive backlash and criticism the scene received, respondents were asked about their apprehensions regarding Hollywood’s depiction of religions. In response, 39.78% expressed a slight level of concern, while 32.16% indicated a moderate degree of concern. Conversely, 18.3% believed they had no concerns at all, whereas 9.76% conveyed being extremely concerned.

Is This a Trend in Hollywood?

Hollywood has faced allegations of distorting religious representations on numerous occasions, and this recent controversy over Oppenheimer only adds to the repetition of such concerns. Given this, survey participants were asked about their perception of the impact of Hollywood movies on shaping people’s perspectives about religion.

In response, 47.66% believed that Hollywood holds a degree of influence, with 26.11% considering it to be highly influential in shaping how audiences perceive religions. Conversely, 20.8% firmly stated that Hollywood lacks any influence, while 5.43% expressed the view that its impact is extremely influential.

The following question asked the participants whether intentional religious provocation is becoming a pattern in Hollywood. A significant majority of 39.21% concurred, while 36.28% remained neutral, and 24.51% held differing views.

Sorry, Not Sorry!

In his interviews, Oppenheimer admitted that as he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, a piece of Hindu scripture ran through his mind: “Now I become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Bhagavad Gita, but also often misunderstood for destruction and death.

Incidentally, even with the use of these lines in the film, Oppenheimer, it was heavily misunderstood and misinterpreted to think that this is an attack towards the Hindus who consider the Bhagavad Gita as their holy scripture.

Therefore, in the concluding question of this survey, respondents were asked if they think that the makers of the show will apologize for the Bhagavad Gita scene in the film, to which a significant majority of 41.55% stated that it’s not very likely for them to apologize for the scene since it has a significance to the storyline and the characterization of the protagonist.

This was followed by 24.71% arguing that it’s somewhat improbable that the makers will apologize, but 5.69% contradicted that saying it’s somewhat probable, with another 3.15% substantiating that argument with a strong belief that the makers will probably apologize for the scene. Meanwhile, 24.90% choose to remain unbiased on this.