Bawal, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, was released on Prime Video on July 21. Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, the film follows a couple and their tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of World War II. The film has been receiving mixed reviews from film audiences and critics, with its present-day relationship and the path to salvation in the context of the Holocaust.
Baawal was shot in several war-torn locations in Europe such as Paris, Normandy, Berlin and Auschwitz. Director Nitesh Tiwari is facing flak over Janhvi Kapoor’s ‘insensitive’ dialogue on Auschwitz. A user highlighted the dialogue on Twitter and wrote, “Apparently, there is a line in #Baawal where Janhvi Kapoor says, “Every relationship goes through its own Auschwitz…” That’s all, guys.”
This dialogue got a big ‘Noooo’ from actress Lisa Ray. Besides them, several other users shared their disappointment on the filmmaker, who had previously made films like Dangal and Chhichhochore. One user wrote, “It’s okay for Janhvi Kapoor not to understand the ridiculousness of that line as she is not even a graduate. But what happened to #NiteshTiwari sir?? After all he is an IITian.”
Another user wrote, “No objection but apart from Motwane, Avinash Arun, Sriram Raghavan and Ghayavan there is no hope for Bollywood!!! Rest make childish movies.” A third wrote, “Why are these European (Auschwitz) and American (Balboa) cultural references popping up in our mainstream entertainment like we don’t have references of our own? Seems too forced and contrived.”
Check out the Twitter reactions here:
During the trailer launch event of Baawal, Nitesh Tiwari talked about the reference to World War II and Hitler in the film. He added that the events and incidents that took place are like the overall arc of the character and relationship in general. Talking about not making reference to Indian history, Tiwari said that he always wants to bring something new to the audience.
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