Anurag Thakur seeks explanation on CBFC nod for ‘Oppenheimer’

PTI, Jul 25, 2023, 8:39 AM IST

Taking 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 and asked it to take corrective action.

Thakur is understood to have asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to get the scene where Oppenheimer appears to indulge in sexual intercourse while reading verses from the Bhagavad Gita deleted from the movie.

He has also asked the Board to fix accountability on persons responsible for clearing the movie with the scene in question.

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 shown 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”.

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 would require accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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”.