Product Code Database
Bawaal () is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language adventure film romantic drama film directed by Nitesh Tiwari, and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari under Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Earthsky Pictures. It stars Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor as a troubled married couple.
Filming took place in multiple countries from April to August 2022. Initially scheduled for a theatrical release, Bawaal had a streaming release on Amazon Prime Video on 21 July 2023. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with backlash mostly owing to Holocaust trivialization. Despite the backlash, in the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, this movie won multiple awards, including Best Actor in a Web Original Film and Best Actress in a Web Original Film for Dhawan and Kapoor, respectively.
However, later, Ajay finds himself and his image in jeopardy when he slaps his student, Atul Raghuvanshi, in frustration over a doubt regarding World War II. Atul turns out to be the son of MLA Vishwas Raghuvanshi. Out of despair of wanting to escape the wrath of the MLA, Ajay decides to visit places across Europe he deems were important to World War II (inc. Anne Frank's house and Auschwitz). He takes Nisha along with him as his parents hope it could resolve their marital conflicts. This sets them on a journey that changes their entire perspectives and their views on interpersonal conflicts, as they cover both life and history lessons along the way.
Filming began in April 2022, and was shot in Mumbai, Kanpur, Lucknow, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Kraków, Warsaw, Auschwitz (present-day Oświęcim) and in parts of Poland. Sajid Nadiadwala announced that the filming completed in August 2022.
The first single, "Tumhe Kitna Pyaar Karte" was released on 7 July 2023. The 2nd single titled "Dil Se Dil Tak" was released on 14 July 2023. The third single titled "Dilon Ki Doriyan" was released on 18 July 2023.
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 1.5 out of 5, writing, "Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoor-starrer promises a lot, but keeps faltering, never quite knowing what to make of a wholly harebrained flourish in the plot." Leaf Arbuthnot of The Guardian gave the film 1 out of 5, calling the premise "serviceable" but the plot "woefully misjudged." She further wrote that "it is just a pity that rest of the film is so lacking in fun, pep, humour and charm that only its spectacularly poor taste stands out."
Amongst positive reviews, Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave the film 3 out of 5, writing, "Director Nitesh Tiwari has a knack for creating intriguing characters and scenarios that feel fresh yet familiar at the same time. But the underlying goal behind all their actions -- questionable or inspirational -- is rooted in wisdom." Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost gave the film 3 out of 5, writing, "Despite all its drawbacks, one takeaway from the film is that it’s okay to be an average person with imperfections than to be a fake person."
Several publications criticized the film for "insensitive portrayal" of the Holocaust. Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Jewish human rights organisation Simon Wiesenthal Center asked Amazon to “stop monetising” Bawaal with immediate effect and called the film a “banal trivialisation of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust.” On 28 July 2023, Embassy of Israel, New Delhi tweeted that "The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie 'Bawaal'." They also criticised the "poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie."
| 2023 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actor in a Web Original Film | Varun Dhawan | ||
| Best Actress in a Web Original Film | Janhvi Kapoor | ||||
| Best Story (Web Original Film) | Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari | ||||
| Best Original Screenplay (Web Original Film) | Nikhil Mehrotra, Shreyas Jain, Piyush Gupta, Nitesh Tiwari | ||||
| Best Background Music (Web Original Film) | Daniel B. George | ||||
| Best Production Design (Web Original Film) | Aditya Kanwar | ||||
| Best Cinematographer (Web Original Film) | Mitesh Mirchandani | ||||
| Best Editing (Web Original Film) | Charu Shree Roy | ||||
| Best Sound Design (Web Original Film) | Sanjay Maurya, Allwin Rego |
|
|
