Christopher Nolan’s Biopic ‘Oppenheimer’ - Stop Reacting Impulsively

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 25July 2023 Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer has prompted outrage among the Hindu right wing in India, who have alleged that a sex scene featuring a sacred text has offended religious sentiments. The blockbuster tells the story of Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb and includes a sex scene in which the tortured physicist, played by Cillian Murphy, reads the Bhagavad Gita to his lover Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh. Recently departed Czech novelist Milan Kundera once said, " Too much faith is the worst ally." It sure is. Just like the Muslims, whose favourite pastime has always been taking umbrage at the slightest provocation (and the absence of it), the neo-Hindus of Modi's 'religiously resurgent' India are emulating the Muslims on this count. Ram Gopal Varma has aptly said that those who're protesting, mustn't have read Gita. These jokers must know that the Hindu mythology and its sacred books have always been sexually liberated. Joanne Punzo Waghorn, writes in Her Lord and Master: Kingship and Sexual Symbolism in South India (paper presented at the symposium on Sexuality and Religion, 1978) that Sexual and Sacred went hand in hand in ancient Hindu consciousness. Mahakavi Vidyapati, who wrote in Maithili, early Bengali and Sanskrit, used sexual symbolism in his works while describing the 'union' of gods and goddesses. Twelfth-century Sanskrit poet Jaydeva from Orissa depicted Krishna as a love incarnate who teaches Radha while making love to her in his Gita Govinda! Kalidas wrote copiously on the callipygian Parvati in his Kumarsambhava. No one objected to the pronounced sexuality, involving the sacred figures of Hinduism or Sanatan traditions. But now, the over-educated and morbidly touchy Hindus see and find everything tainted with sex, therefore, must be prohibited at once. This is rank idiocy and utter nonsense. The director of the movie had no intention to denigrate Hindus and their faith. So, grow up and stop reacting impulsively. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/christopher-nolan-biopic-oppenheimer/d/130302 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism