Bollywood Film 'Bawaal' Comes Under Heavy Criticism For Insensitive Holocaust Portrayal

The Bollywood film Bawaal has faced accusations of trivialising and demeaning the Holocaust by using Auschwitz as a metaphor for relationship problems.

In the film, the main character compares himself to Hitler during a fantasy scene set in the concentration camp. This portrayal has sparked controversy and criticism from film critics and Jewish organisations.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Bawaal follows the story of a history teacher who feels embarrassed by his wife's epilepsy. As they embark on a trip to Europe to visit Second World War sites, they discover love for each other during the journey.

However, concerns have been raised about the depiction of the characters' visits to Holocaust sites and how it connects with their love story.

The film's trailer mentions a "war within" and includes a scene where the couple visits Auschwitz.

A controversial scene takes place in a gas chamber, where the couple is shown wearing striped pajamas. The female lead then makes a statement about people never being satisfied, comparing them to Hitler. “We’re all a little like Hitler, aren’t we?” she says.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre, an organisation dedicated to protecting the human rights of the Jewish community, strongly condemned the film, reported The Guardian.

They called on Amazon, the streaming platform where the film is available, to remove it from Prime Video and to stop profiting from the Holocaust. Amazon has yet to respond.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, an associate dean and the director of Global Social Action at the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, reportedly expressed his concern about the film.

He said Auschwitz, a concentration camp where millions of innocent people were killed during the Holocaust, should not be used as a metaphor. According to him, Auschwitz serves as a stark reminder of humanity's capacity for evil.

He described Bawaal as a “banal trivialisation of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust."

The film has also come under severe criticism from audiences online and film critics.

The filmmaker, Tiwari, has defended his film, stating that he never intended to be insensitive. He explains that he used the historical backdrop of the Second World War to bring something new to Indian audiences.