Review of Kumaré (2012) by Sooty M — 10 Apr 2013

This has to be by far, the ballsiest documentary I have ever seen. It begins with a quote by William Ralph Inge who nailed it when he said that "Faith begins as an experiment and ends as an experience.", and this was one hell of an experiment. Pretending to be a wise Eastern guru, inventing a religion in a city where no one would recognize him, first generation Indian American filmmaker, Vikram Gandhi transforms himself in the most superficial way but ends up transforming many; deeply, and spiritually.

The experiment puts to test the question if and why we need spiritual leaders. To this end, Vikram moves to Phoenix, AZ, replete with requisite guru beard, nonsensical mantras, trident, Grandma's Indian accent, and starts a real following as Kumaré, a guru for whom truth lies in illusion. Thereafter, the effect he has on his followers is astounding. Naturally, those who come to him are fraught with personal problems, desperately searching for relief and escape from the capitalist stresses of American life. With humility and a great deal of help from his guru getup, Kumaré inspires adoration and positive change in the lives of his followers.

What sets Kumaré apart from the run of the mill guru however, is that while he effectively maintains his outward appearance of a guru, he deliberately sets out to expose himself as a false prophet to his unwitting followers. In fact, he literally presses the point to his followers that he is the biggest faker he knows, to the point that he forgets who he really is; that is, the fake charlatan he really is. This however (and comically), is not taken point blank by his disciples but as a sort of profound truth made even more profound by the cryptic facade Kumaré maintains.

Eventually Vikram unveils himself to his followers and emphasizes that the power of real transformation comes from oneself (your inner guru), rather than from some external guru or religious leader. Spiritual leaders are just illusions and ultimately we are the ones who decide who and what is real, if only we could trust ourselves enough to do so. This film powerfully illustrates the power of suggestion. If we can find spirituality in anything, it is a mirror for looking within ourselves. Well played.