NEW DELHI: Israel has accused an Indian film, released on the OTT platform, of trivialising the holocaust and called it disturbing.
"I did not and will not watch the film Bawaal but from what I’ve read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialization of the Holocaust should disturb all. I urge those who don’t know enough about the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it," said Israel’s Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon.
The film Bawaal, which has been released on the OTT platform, has a reference to Auschwitz which hasn’t gone down well with the Israelis. The line which has raised a storm is when actor Jahnvi Kapoor says `har Rishta apne-apne Auschwitz se guzarta hai.
"There was a poor choice in the use 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 Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie 'Bawaal',’’ according to a statement issued by the Israeli Embassy in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the movie follows the journey of Ajay Dixit aka Ajju (Varun Dhawan), a small-town high school history teacher, and his newlywed wife Nisha (Janhvi Kapoor) who decide to go on, a Second World War trail across Europe by visiting Poland, the Netherlands, and Germany. The couple, who is already suffering from a strained marriage, struggles to remain afloat despite a series of events that put their love to the test and make them face their inner demons. The Director of the film Nilesh Tiwari has used World War-2 as a metaphor and the backdrop of the story.