Oppenheimer: I&B minister Anurag Thakur seeks explanation on CBFC nod

Taking a serious note of an objectionable scene in Christopher Nolan-helmed ‘Oppenheimer’, information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur has sought an explanation from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and asked them to take corrective action.

Thakur is understood to have asked CBFC to get the scene where Oppenheimer appears to be indulging in sexual intercourse while reading verses from the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ deleted from the movie. He has also asked the Censor Board to identify the persons responsible for clearing the movie with the scene in question and fix accountability.

Also read: When Jawaharlal Nehru asked Oppenheimer to take Indian citizenship

Meanwhile, information Commissioner Uday Mahurkar had written an open letter to Nolan, terming the scene a “disturbing attack on Hinduism” and appealed to the film director to remove the scene worldwide.

In the film, Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, is showing having intercourse with psychologist Jean Tatler (Florence Pugh), as she asks him to read a verse from what appears to be a Sanskrit book, whose title or cover is not visible. On Tatler’s insistence, a confused Oppenheimer reads out the verse she points at: “Now, I am become Death, destroyer of the world.”

Also read: Oppenheimer: Recitation of Bhagavad Gita in sex scene sparks outrage

According to reports, the CBFC gave the film a U/A rating, making it suitable for viewers above 13 years, after studio Universal Pictures cut some scenes to reduce its length. In the United States, the movie has been rated R, restricted, which means viewers under 17 years would require a parent or adult guardian to accompany them.

This is Nolan’s first R-rated film.

In his post, Mahurkar said he was “perplexed as to how the Central Board of Film Certification could approve the movie with the scene”.

(With agency inputs)