Oppenheimer Controversy: Christopher Nolan’s Movies’ Sex Scenes Stirs Outrage Among Netizens With Unexpected Link To Bhagavad Gita (View Tweet)
The appearance of the Bhagavad Gita in one of Oppenheimer's sex scenes notably infuriated some viewers, who had generally negative reactions to the film. Even before Oppenheimer's release, criticism erupted over the film's sexual content after receiving the first R rating for a Christopher Nolan movie in 20 years.
Although some people have found the sequences unpleasant, director Christopher Nolan felt it was vital to fully depict J. Robert Oppenheimer's (Cillian Murphy) life and his intense connection with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) in Oppenheimer, which is Nolan's first movie to contain a sex scene.
Twitter has been used by viewers to express their outrage about the movie's sex scene featuring the Bhagavad Gita.
Oppenheimer was criticized on Twitter by HarrisSultan for disrespecting religion by using a holy book in a pornographic scene.
Some viewers were also taken aback by the fact that while the sex scene was pixelated when Oppenheimer was released in India, the reference to the Bhagavad Gita remained despite the possibility that it would be construed as "blasphemy."
However, some argued that the decision was justified because the characters only view the book as "Sanskrit" and not as "holy."
Oppenheimer makes reference to the Bhagavad Gita more than only in the sex scene. Its historical relevance is founded in part on Oppenheimer's love with Sanskrit and his immersion in classical Hindu literature, such as the Bhagavad Gita. He had always been interested in religion and linguistics and was well-versed in both, but it felt that the Gita spoke to him on a philosophical level, even though he never identified as a traditional Hindu.
When the titular physicist realizes the dreadful power of the atomic weapon he assisted in developing, he proclaims, "Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds." This Gita passage truly plays a significant part in Oppenheimer.
This was also factually true because the real Oppenheimer later recalled thinking of a Gita passage when he first witnessed the atomic bomb's explosion.
Since Oppenheimer had a link to the Hindu script, it is not surprising that the Gita is significant in his work. While Oppenheimer's sex scene in which Tatlock instructs Murphy's lead character to recite the Bhagavad Gita during the act may have been historically correct, the one statement that came after the bomb's creation may not have been.
(Also Read: Battle Between 'Barbie', 'Oppenheimer' Rages As Both Giants Duke It Out In Cinematic Showdown)
It will be interesting to see if further responses from Hindu audiences will pressure Nolan to take better care of how and when to include such intimate scenes in his films in the future given the early reports of frontal nudity from both Murphy and Pugh, especially given their age difference.
