What Varun Dhawan Said About Backlash Over Bawaal Dialogues On Hitler And Holocaust

New Delhi:

Varun Dhawan, who recently featured in Nitesh Tiwari’s Bawaal alongside Janhvi Kapoor, in a recent interview with Pinkvilla, opened up about his take on the controversial parts of the film which has been accused of trivialising the Holocaust. Bawaal has been criticised by film critics and audience alike for its problematic and tone-deaf plot. The film compares a troubled marriage to Hitler’s regime and the concentration camps in Auschwitz. “Hum sab bhi toh thode bohot Hitler jaise hi hai na (we all are a little bit like Hitler),” Janhvi Kapoor says in the film. Without naming any film in particular, Varun Dhawan said, ” I respect everyone’s opinions and everyone has a right to have an opinion. 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. They are allowed to do and show everything and you will find that in a correct way.”

Varun Dhawan appears to be unaware of the controversy about Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer in which the inclusion of a line from the Bhagavad Gita a sex scene has caused offence.

Reacting to his character in the film, Varun said, “I’m not new to criticism. My films Judwaa, Main Tera Hero and ABCD2, have been criticized which is totally cool. I respect the criticism. What I don’t understand like how Sir (Nitesh Tiwari) said that it’s a context and the protagonist is from Lucknow and it’s showing that the character which is Ajju Bhaiya is initially a tone-deaf character.”

The actor added, “This is how it has been shown and it’s not showing the character as a hero but as a negative. That’s why all the praise is coming for the character that a hero for the first time gets to do a negative character. So the character is supposed to be negative. So, the way Nisha (Janhvi’s character) will explain him in a way that he should understand.”

Bawaal showcases the story of a history teacher (Varun Dhawan), who, along with wife Nisha (Janhvi Kapoor) goes to Europe to visit World War 2 sites, which changes him and his relationship forever.