Oppenheimer: Netizens slam Christopher Nolan's film over Bhagavad Gita reference during a sex scene

Christopher Nolan's film Oppenheimer, which depicts the life and work of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who led the development of the atomic bomb, has sparked controversy in India for its portrayal of a sex scene involving the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture.

The scene shows Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) having an affair with Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh), a communist activist and his former lover. During the intimate moment, Tatlock stops and picks up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita from a bookshelf and asks Oppenheimer to read from it. He reads the line "I am become Death, destroyer of worlds," which is a quote from the scripture that Oppenheimer famously thought of when he witnessed the first nuclear test in 1945.

The Bhagavad Gita, which means "the song of God," is a part of the Indian epic Mahabharata and consists of a dialogue between the prince Arjuna and the divine Krishna on the eve of a great war. The scripture is revered by Hindus as a source of spiritual guidance and wisdom.

Many Indians have expressed their outrage and disgust at the scene, calling it an insult to their faith and culture. They have questioned how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) could approve the film with such a scene and demanded that it be removed from the film across the world.

Uday Mahurkar, a journalist and an information commissioner appointed by the Indian government, wrote a letter to Nolan on behalf of the Save Culture Save India Foundation, a group that claims to protect Indian civilization. He said that the scene was "a direct assault on religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus" and "almost appears to be part of a larger conspiracy by anti-Hindu forces."

He also said that Hollywood was very sensitive about not offending Islam or Muslims, even when making films on Islamist terrorism, and asked why the same courtesy was not extended to Hindus. He urged Nolan to remove the scene from his film and win the hearts of Hindus.

Some Twitter users have also called for a boycott of the film, saying that they were offended by the scene and would not watch it. Others have defended Nolan's artistic freedom and said that the scene was historically accurate and relevant to Oppenheimer's character.

Oppenheimer, which released worldwide on July 21, has received critical acclaim and commercial success. The film focuses on the Manhattan Project during World War II, which led to the creation of the atomic bomb, and America's subsequent interest in nuclear policy in the post-war years. The film also explores Oppenheimer's personal life, including his marriage to Kitty (played by Emily Blunt), his affair with Tatlock, his political views and his moral dilemmas.