These gurus were not specifically religious leaders, but the devotion exhibited by their followers was in the same vein as a leader, and Gandhi took this concept and decided to explore it further. I appreciated the experiment itself, with Vikram doing a strong job embodying a guru, but in a way in which deception is minimized. Summary: A provocative social experiment-turned-documentary, Kumare follows American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi as he transforms himself into a wise Indian guru, hoping to prove the absurdity of blind faith. He grew out his hair and beard to long lengths, wore traditional Indian clothing, and spoke with an Indian accent, which he took from his grandmother. Essentially it's about a guy from NJ named Vikram who sets out to prove all spiritual leaders are frauds, by becoming a guru named Kumare and teaching people nonsense and seeing how they respond. The film's notion that the ruse here was okay because it ultimately helped people seems like a specious rationalization. What they needed, all along, was themselves, and as he gains some hardcore followers at a yoga studio, they come into his life, he goes into theirs and they both help each other. Not so. Throughout the film, he continues to hide in plain sight, admitting upfront time and again that he is not a teacher. He severs the ties that bind them, eventually, so that they can move on. In the film, Kumaré travels to Arizona to spread his made-up philosophy and gain sincere followers. The film raises many questions, and answers some towards the end, as the experiment also ends. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. As "Kumar" plays out, both Gandhi and the film become something else, something much more thoughtful and moving. Kumare, whose real name is Vikram Gandhi, is actually a hip 33-year-old filmmaker from New Jersey, who created a fake "yogalebrity" persona but wound up with a real American following. In the beginning, these people were film props being used by a young and ignorant filmmaker to document (or perhaps poke fun of) American spiritual culture. But Kumaré is not a real guru. An Indian-American kid from New Jersey returned from a guru quest in India convinced gurus were only ordinary people with the job title of “guru.” The documentary begins when he decides to become a fake guru to prove that people only project guru-ness onto ordinary people like himself. New Releases; Coming Soon; Popular Movies; TV Shows; Family; Collections; Blu-ray; How it Works; Plans; Since 1998, DVD Netflix has been the premier DVD-by-mail rental service. Watch it now or check out the trailer first! He gives them the same teachings to ponder, like any other guru, but over time he tries to get them to understand that they don't need a guru. Real truth. Official website for feature documentary directed by Vikram Gandhi about the time he impersonated a wise Indian guru. A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. Become a believer. | Rating: 3/4 |, August 16, 2012 Moods Inspiring, Heartfelt. Copyright © Fandango. They are given the truest possible test of their understanding. As a moral debate on whether you should be able to trick people, this film comes in handy. On a personal level however, he certainly is at their mercy. All Critics (25) Those of us who see and experience this unusual documentary are also given an opportunity to reflect upon our relationships with our teachers and what unique song we are being encouraged to play in our own spiritual development. The documentaries that expose the stories of these malicious groups reveal the dark world of extreme beliefs from splitting families to true illegal activity. Fast, free delivery. I've seen this movie poster on Netflix and other places for a while now and had no idea what it was about until a friend recently recommended it. Popular on Netflix. What Kumaré becomes is an astounding test of art's ability to transcend fiction in order to find momentous truths. |, August 9, 2012 To make the documentary, Gandhi transformed himself into Sri Kumaré, an enlightened guru from a fictional village in India, by adopting a fake Indian accent and growing out his hair and beard. Screen Widescreen 1.85:1. Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service. Netflix Netflix. Find the newest releases of your favorite movies and TV shows available for streaming on Netflix today. Plot Summary | Add Synopsis I Am. Genres Documentary, Social & Cultural Documentaries, Religion & Mythology Documentaries. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. |, August 11, 2012 The brilliance is that the students who truly internalized their teacher's message should not care on a spiritual level when they discover he's actually a filmmaker from New Jersey. Watch now for free. JOIN NOW SIGN IN. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Brooklyn-based filmmaker Vikram Gandhi likens his new genre-bending documentary Kumaré to a Zen koan. IN his early 20s Vikram Gandhi, a fledgling Indian-American filmmaker from New Jersey, decided to make a documentary about the yoga industry in … Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Their film eventually encompassed six years, involved 250 hours of footage, and found a reversal of fortunes they could not possibly have anticipated. |, February 9, 2020 This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. He decided to pretend to be a yogi guru and presented himself as someone he wasn't, he tricked an entire gaggle of people into believing he was a thoughtful and insightful man of the East. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! This site lists all the amazing content available to Netflix members. Sign up here. Hopefully they recognize in this film that he grew as a human being just as much as they did, and that he would obviously not wish to do that to someone ever again. A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. Directed by Tom Shadyac, whose name you may recognize from such films as Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, and The Nutty Professor, this documentary seeks to discover the answer to a question many of us have: What is wrong with the world and what can I do about it? Can accept the ethics of his fakery to true illegal activity stream right away on.. 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