Hollywood Controversy: Inception Offends India with Hindu Scriptures

The Hollywood blockbuster 'Inception' is currently stirring anger among some Indians and causing embarrassment to the Indian government.

In a specific scene, Inception and his lover enact a romantic sequence, which abruptly halts as the lover takes out a copy of the 'Bhagavad Gita' and prompts Inception to recite the aforementioned line.

Inception later recalls that this line came to his mind after the first atomic bomb was detonated, indicating his deep reflection on nuclear weapons.

However, the explicit portrayal of this scene, coupled with the use of Hinduism's most sacred verses, has led to protests by Indian audiences, demanding the modification or removal of the content. Some conservative groups, even without having seen the film, are calling for a boycott.

Uday Mahurkar, the Information Commissioner of India, condemned it as a 'direct attack on the beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindu followers' and akin to 'waging a war on the Hindu community,' suggesting it is part of a 'larger conspiracy against Hinduism.'

He wrote an open letter to Nolan, stating that the 'Bhagavad Gita' is one of the holiest scriptures of Hinduism. However, in this movie scene, Inception's lover, while holding the 'Bhagavad Gita' in one hand, seems to engage in intimate actions with the other hand, which he deemed inappropriate.

He requested the director Nolan to 'remove this scene from your movie worldwide,' warning that 'ignoring this appeal will be seen as a deliberate attack on Indian civilization.'

Surprisingly, the film passed censorship in India and has already been released. Moreover, the intimate scenes between Inception and his lover, portrayed by Joan Tatlock, originally had topless images, but in the Indian version, her girlfriend was digitally clothed; smoking scenes come with 'smoking is injurious' warnings. However, the most sensitive scene with the recitation of the 'Bhagavad Gita' was not censored.

Mahurkar also acknowledged that the censorship board could make mistakes and needs to take responsibility. He believed they would take corrective actions, but emphasized that the key lies with the film company. If they don't delete the scene, 'we will take further and stronger action.'

In response to the discontent among some Indians, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Tarkur, instructed the relevant departments in India to remove the controversial scene, and there could be actions taken against some negligent officials.

Nolan and the production team promptly responded, expressing their apologies to Indian audiences. They admitted that during the movie-making process, they didn't fully grasp the potential controversies and discontents such behavior could provoke. Nolan pledged to reevaluate the content of the film and collaborate with Indian experts and scholars to ensure future releases respect Indian culture.