Bawaal director defends 'insensitive' Auschwitz scene in Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoor's film

Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor starrer Bawaal released on OTT on July 21. The film received praise for its unique storyline but ended up facing criticism for drawing comparisons between Holocaust and marital woes. Director Nitesh Tiwari, in an interview, addressed social media reactions to the film and spoke about creative choices. 

3 things you need to know:

• Bawaal is the first onscreen collaboration between Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan. 
• The film has been criticised for a dialogue comparing Auschwitz and a strained marriage. 
• Nitesh Tiwari has also directed box office hits like Dangal and Chhichhore.

Nitesh Tiwari calls criticism of filmmakers' intent ‘hurtful’ 

In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Nitesh Tiwari said that he is in favour of constructive criticism. He added that if arguments can be made in a civilised way, they could turn out to be constructive. While speaking about the criticism of Bawaal dialogues, he said that the moment the criticism becomes about the intent of the filmmaker, it becomes "hurtful". He concluded that all his films, including Dangal and Chhichhore, have faced criticism.

(A still from Nitesh Tiwari's Bawaal | Image: varundv/Instagram)

"I’m a bit disappointed with the way some people have comprehended it. That was never the intention. It would never be my intention to be insensitive in any which way. It was a context," Nitesh said while defending Bawaal dialogues and scenes that have been criticised.

Varun Dhawan defends Bawaal

In the same interview, Varun Dhawan also shared his own perspective on Bawaal's criticism. He said that he's no stranger to criticism as plenty of his films like ABCD2 and Main Tera Hero have not been received well. He added that his character from the beginning was shown to be tone-deaf and negative, which is why it makes sense for him to be dubious. 

(Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan play leading roles in Nitesh Tiwari's Bawaal | Image: varundv/Instagram)

He said, "Some people got triggered and sensitive about this but I don't understand where that sensitivity or the trigger goes when they watch an English film." This has been perceived to be a veiled dig at Oppenheimer which has been criticised for a scene featuring Bhagvad Gita. The Judwa actor concluded that English films are made without any restraint and the audience always finds a way to make their intentions and actions connect with it in the right manner.