Oppenheimer viewers in certain territories are learning that Florence Pugh actually appears nude in a sex scene with lead actor Cillian Murphy.
Pugh plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock in the Christopher Nolan epic, which was released in cinemas on 21 July, with Irish actor Murphy playing the eponymous “father of the atomic bomb”.
Tatlock and Oppenheimer were in a relationship and later had an affair while the physicist was married to Katherine “Kitty” Puening (portrayed by Emily Blunt in the movie).
For western audiences, Pugh, 27, appears nude in multiple sex scenes with Murphy, 47. However, in countries including India and Indonesia, she is reportedly seen wearing a black dress that appears to have been added using CGI.
A photo of one such scene has been circulated on Twitter with fans in certain territories sharing their surprise.
“Can confirm. This is the version being screened in Indonesia. A lot of her intimate scenes with Cillian was also heavily altered too,” one person alleged.
“It was like this in my theatre and didn't even noticed that it was fake,” another revealed.
“They really did this in my country, Indonesia [crying laughing emoji] i guess we all had no idea that it was supposed to be uncensored lol so smooth,” another concurred.
“Christopher Nolan used no CGI and then this pffft I would riot if I was him,” a fourth wrote, referencing the British-American director’s famous proclivity for real-life visual effects.
A source close to the film tells The Independent that a “soft base” version of the film with no nudity was used in the Middle East while censor edits were made to secure releases in countries including India.
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One of the film’s sex scenes has already sparked a major uproar among right-wing groups in India.
During the scene, Tatlock stops during intercourse and picks up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s holiest scriptures, and asks Oppenheimer to read from it.
Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, left, and Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer— (© Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” Oppenheimer reads from the scripture, as he resumes intercourse with Tatlock.
The Bhagavad Gita is thought to have been composed thousands of years ago as part of Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism.
On Saturday (22 July), India’s information commissioner Uday Mahurkar issued a statement about the film. He said that the scene was “a direct assault on religious beliefs of a billion tolerant Hindus”, likening it to “waging a war on the Hindu community”.
“We believe that if you remove this scene and do the needful to win hearts of Hindus, it will go a long way to establish your credentials as a sensitised human being and gift you friendship of billions of nice people,” he added.
According to India Today, sources close to the federal minister of information and broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, revealed that he asked the censor board to delete the scene from the movie.
Oppenheimer has been released as a U/A certified film by India’s Central Board of Film Certification, which means the movie contains moderate adult themes and can be watched by a child below 12 years of age under parental guidance.
In other nations, Christopher Nolan’s film has been released under the R-rated category.
Find The Independent’s review of Oppenheimer here. Follow along with the latest updates as “Barbenheimer” hits theatres here.
