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.[3] The film received negative reviews from critics.
Plot
Ajay Dixit is an image-conscious narcissist, who teaches history at a school in Lucknow. He hates his life of lies, despite the respect he is held in, thanks to his philosophical tendency to "fake it till you make it". He has grounded his beautiful epileptic wife Nisha, who is much more intelligent than him, since he does not want her seizures to ruin his reputation.
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.
The first single, "Tumhe Kitna Pyaar Karte" was released on 7 July 2023.[8] The 2nd single titled "Dil Se Dil Tak" was released on 14 July 2023.[9] The third single titled "Dilon Ki Doriyan" was released on 18 July 2023.[10]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 21% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10.[11]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."[12] 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."[13]
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."[14] 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."[15]
Several publications criticized the film for "insensitive portrayal" of the Holocaust.[a] 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.”[21][22] 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'."[23] They also criticised the "poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie."[24][25]
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