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Kumare Movie Review

Name: Kumare Movie Review
Item: Kumare
Rating: 3.5
Author: Lalitha Mallikeswaran

Written by

Review for the film " Kumare"

Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video

Runtime: 01 Hour 24 Minutes

Certificate: UA

Released: 20-06-2012

Genre: Drama, Satire, Documentary

Similar To: Somewhere Beautiful, White Boy Rick, Lying And Stealing, First Cow

Critic Review
User Review

3.5 / 5.0

3.36 / 5.0

CAST & CREW

Vikram Gandhi

MORE CAST & CREW

Music Director:

Alex Kliment

Cinematographer:

Kahlil Hudson

Editor:

Nathan Russell

Adam Barton

Director:

Vikram Gandhi

Movie Actress:

Kristen Calgaro

Purva Bedi

Click Here For Full Cast & Crew

Kumare is a satirical documentary, directed by Vikram Gandhi Vikram Gandhi was raised in New Jersey after being >> Read More... . Bryan Carmel and Brendan Colthurst have co-produced this film. This documentary is distributed by Kino Lorber. Kahlil Hudson and Daniel Leeb are the cinematographers, while Adam Barton and Nathan Russell are the editors of this film. This documentary stars Vikram Gandhi in the lead. The supporting cast of the film includes Purva Bedi and Kristen Calgaro. The documentary got a theatrical release on 20 June 2012.

Plot

Vikram Gandhi, the son of two Indian immigrants, becomes increasingly skeptical of religion as he enters adulthood. However, as he prepares a documentary about the New Age movement, he adopts an unconventional solution: impersonating a guru himself. However, Vikram finds it hard to quit the identity he has adopted. What shall he do?

Star Performances

Vikram Gandhi as the actor and filmmaker, does a phenomenal job. He takes potshots, and contemplates the essence of spirituality, all while keeping the satire intact.

Analysis

‘New Age’ Movement, for those unaware, is the Western society’s attraction to new avenues of spirituality during the early 70s. At the same time when the Hippies were on the rise, the New Age movement had its effects, often giving way to self-proclaimed healers or philosophers who aimed to mint money, rather than focusing on the lesser-known aspects of theology or spirituality.

‘Kumare’ is an exploration of the same, using the same templates as popularized in the Sacha Baron Cohen-led mockumentary ‘BORAT.’ The target audience is the same, the only difference is that Americans are being viewed through the eyes of a ‘spiritual’ Indian immigrant.

As acclaimed Roger Ebert said, “It does not matter if a religion's teachings are true. What matters is if you think they are." USA is not new to Indian philosophers milking the ‘New Age Movement.’ While some, like Mahesh Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda etc., attracted the Western audience, and genuinely sought a new insight into spirituality, others like Bikram Chaudhary, Rajneesh Osho, etc. only exploited their identities for commercial gain.

Through his own experience, Vikram Gandhi also portrays how some people believe the spiritual gurus so quickly, that even if the latter reveal themselves as imposters, they will not believe it at all! Since he does not aim to please everyone, he goes on the offensive. He is one of the few seekers, who cares for his followers, even if just for his documentary. The hesitation in revealing his natural persona is nothing artificial here.

Ethically, this mockumentary might not please everyone. But aesthetically, ‘Kumare’ does pose some crucial questions.

What's There?

The focus of Vikram Gandhi
Some pertinent questions asked without malice

What's Not There?

Minor flaws

Verdict

Some might pass off ‘Kumare’ as a poor man’s ‘Borat.’ However, Vikram Gandhi does make a sincere attempt to show the not-so-great side of spiritual gurus, who exploit both religion and the sentiments of their followers to make a name for themselves!

Initally, they just felt that it is just another deep message. Gandhi may have fooled the people, but you won’t find that deception as an issue after watching the movie.

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