Kumaré
Directed by Vikram Gandhi
Most of us want to believe in something larger than ourselves, something that connects us to God, the Great Beyond or whatever we might call it. But do we want to belong so badly that, given the right trappings, we’ll believe anything or anyone?
Vikram Gandhi was born in New Jersey to a traditional Indian-American family. His parents maintained a connection to the Hindu teachings and rituals of their ancestral land, but none of this was meaningful to their thoroughly Americanized son. His search for spirituality led him to study religion and visit India, but everything he encountered seemed false to him, particularly the hypocritical gurus and teachers. So the young filmmaker decided to conduct an experiment: he created a mishmash of teachings (one co-called mantra was “Be all that you can be”) and called himself a guru. With long hair and a beard, monk’s robes and an Indian accent borrowed from his grandmother, the newly christened Sri Kumare set up shop in Phoenix, Arizona.
Sri Kumare slowly gathered a following that found deep meaning in his manufactured asanas, mantras and “blue light” blessing. Believers included a lawyer who defends death-row convicts, a recovering crack addict, and a young woman who wanted advice on her failing marriage, all of whom accepted his nonsense as gospel truth, opening their hearts and lives. To his followers he became the guru who held the key to their spiritual journeys. At this point Gandhi realized this was not going to be the big joke he’d anticipated.
Kumare is sweet, gentle, funny and touching. As Gandhi extracts himself from Sri Kumare, something even more interesting unfolds—he begins to find his own truth and ultimately, the elusive spirituality he has been seeking.
—Jacquelin Sonderling
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