Lisa Ray reacts ‘noooo’ to ‘insensitive’ line on Auschwitz in Bawaal

Bawaal, directed by Nitesh Tiwari released on July 21 on Prime Video. The Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor film has received mixed reviews from critics with many panning the reference to the Holocaust in the equation of a present day relationship. Now actor Lisa Ray has reacted to a line from the film that equates Auschwitz with a relationship. (Also read: Bawaal review: Hitler saves a toxic marriage in the most insensitive film of the year, so far)

Lisa Ray’s reaction

It so happened that Film critic Raja Sen tweeted, “Apparently, there is a line in #Bawaal where Jahnvi Kapoor says “Har rishta apne-apne Auschwitz se guzarta hai…” That’s all, folks.” (The line translates to, “Every relationship goes through the Auschwitz.”) Reacting to the line, actor Lisa Ray reacted in disbelief with, “Noooooooo.”

More Twitter reactions

Apart from Lisa, many others also expressed their shock in the comments. One said, “Extremely insensitive line!” Another wrote, “In today ‘s episode of Hindi Movies losing their plot…..” A tweet read, “Why are these European (Auschwitz) and American (Balboa) cultural references coming in our main stream entertainment, as if we do not have references of our own. Looks so forced and contrived.” Another comment read, “Are you serious?”

What Nitesh Tiwari had said

At the trailer launch event, which took place in Dubai, Nitesh Tiwari broke his silence on references to Hitler and World War II in the film. He said, “While creating a character, you can go back and look at the events and incidents which can play an important role in the overall arc of that character and the relationship in general. It’s not just about Hitler. There are many more things that you may not have seen in the trailer. Every incident has been very carefully chosen that can have an impact on the overall arc.”

Meanwhile, the Hindustan Times review of the film read, “The most insensitive bits of Bawaal are saved for the last, when the two visit the concentration camp in Auschwitz and imagine themselves suffocated inside the gas chambers. It is an excruciatingly horrible and shameful depiction, in which Holocaust is but a narrative scapegoat for the characters to face their fears and save their toxic marriage. The moment the two find each other, the historical subtext disappears. The black and white fades to inject colour to the scenes. The effect is disconcerting to say the least.”