Kumaré (2012)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A-maz-ing

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Vikram Gandhi, raised in New Jersey of Asian Indian parents, became suspicious of gurus and, in order to convince himself (and others) of their suspect credibility, he set out to show that he could fake it. And fake it he did, ultimately establishing a small group of followers in Phoenix, Arizona.It is not clear just what Gandhi has proved by his experiment. He proved that *he* could pass himself off as an Indian guru, but he had all of the ingredients: his pretend accent (easily come by); his carefully fabricated appearance; his proficiency in yoga to the point where he could conduct classes; his emphasis on meditation; and a message that was generic enough that most anyone could find a way to respond to it, namely that each of us has an inner guru that represents our best and truest self. I was conflicted in how I felt about what Gandhi did. The only thing that I can see where he flat lied was in his claiming to be from a small village in India. I do have a problem with Gahndi's grand plan to make this into a movie from the start, giving some credence to the opinion that it was not his followers from whom he was wanting to extract money, but rather from the ticket sales to his movie. Just how cynical Gahndi was in his approach is open to debate.On the positive side, Gahndi would often tell his followers that he was not who they thought he was. As far as I am concerned Kumaré made a perfectly good guru. He had very sympathetic eyes and was a good listener--would that many a psychiatrist do as well as he. And it is not like Gandhi just flipped a switch to try out his experiment; he researched the field and developed a classic guru look and message. I don't see where he did much harm, and could have done good. The big failings of many gurus is their love of money and sex--recall the antics of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh for example. But, as presented, Kumaré was not eliciting sex nor was he apparently extorting money. If Gahndi set out to make a mockery of gurus, then I don't think he achieved his goal. In fact, after revealing the truth to his followers many of them continued to regard what he had to offer as valuable.I think that what Gahndi proved is how eager many people are to get spiritual guidance and how appreciative they are to find someone who will take them seriously and listen to them. Initially I viewed Kumaré's followers as foolishly gullible, but on further reflection I found their behaviors perfectly understandable. Compared to some of the far out eccentrics Karmaré ran into (like the sect that believed they had come from another planet), Kumaré seemed well within the bounds of believability.

What a Fascinating movie about the human condition,blah, blah, blah. So the reviews go - for people who arrogate themselves to believe that they're "in on it" and woe and behold the frailty of humankind to be taken in by charlatans. Well, physicians, Heal thyself! Kumare from Jersey is playing YOU as the patsy. Breathe deep his bogus mirror therapy. Because you're the sucker in the mirror and This was scripted from start to finish yet other reviewers like to believe that Kumare got carried away and painted himself into a corner with a fantasy that he took too far. No he didn't. It wasn't a moral crisis that he suffered when he found himself too far into his own game that he couldn't "reveal" himself in person and and sheepishly had to do it via video to his followers. The video "reveal" is for your sake *the viewer* and on purpose. Like the fools who had phallic symbols painted by this sadistic freak onto their faces yet still embrace him after he picked their spiritual pocket, foolish viewers give this a top rating. You really think he was to chicken too do a personal "reveal" in front of 2 dozen people? No, he was hunting the bigger game- the video audience.

I think that people who miss the point of this movie have missed out on learning a great truth. We can help ourselves. We are our own guru. I think that this is the only way we can be truly happy is if we choose to be. We can't ride on the coattails of someone else's happiness or truth. We have to find it inside. This is what Vikram was bringing out. The illusion is truth. During Vikram's path of discovery he learned that he is Kumare and Vikram. As Kumare he stated that he had never felt more connected to people than he did then. Why? He took the time to 1) show an interest in others 2) connect with empathy and compassion 3) engage in reflective listening & conversation 4) Serve others 5) Teach them how to be self empoweredHe positively affected change in the lives of many people he encountered. Could he have done that as Vikram? I think not. Sometimes we need the illusion to move into our truth. I think he would make a great life coach, as Vikram. :)

American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi transforms 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. Kumaré travels to Arizona to spread his made-up philosophy and gain sincere followers.Kumaré documents a social experiment that was not well-planned and goes awry. Vikram Gandhi starts off by pretending to be a false prophet to make fun of religious people. But when he starts to gain sincere followers, he sees that these people have real-life problems and need hope and guidance, he starts to feel guilty. What was he expecting would happen?The first half of the film is funny and disturbing in the way that it fulfills the entirety of Gandhi's thesis. We laugh at these followers because we have a social distance from it. For the latter half of the film, it becomes uncomfortable as his followers start to become close with Sri Kumaré, telling him intimate details of their personal lives and asking him for advice. He fights with himself over how he should tell them. This is where the documentary lost me. I did not care one bit for Vikram. I was cringing for his followers and kept watching to see their reaction when the curtain was pulled before them. So in the end, do the ends justify the means? I personally do not think so. Other people may see it differently. To me, Vikram Gandhi becomes the person he set out to mock. The film celebrates its own mean-spiritedness at the end and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. I am not one to make fun of other people's faith.If there is anything positive to come out of Gandhi's experiment, it's that everybody has the potential to find peace within themselves, whether that's religion, yoga, golf, knitting or gardening. People should believe in something that they can find happiness in, even if it's not God.But I already knew that before watching this film.For more reviews, please view my film blog @ http://hkauteur.wordpress.com/