WANT TO HAVE YOUR OWN CULT? SEE “KUMARE”

WANT TO HAVE YOUR OWN CULT? SEE “KUMARE”

Sincere students of philosophy might as well go get a copy of “Kumare: The Story of a False Prophet” right now. Once they see this sort of mock documentary now playing at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., they will need to see it over and over. Such is the depth of human nature implied in the experiences of New Jersey-born Vikram Gandhi, whose parents were from India.

Feeling upset about all the bogus swamis and gurus finding such popularity in the US, Gandi wanted to expose them by proving he could become one, too.

“I’ll just imitate my grandmother’s English accent,” said Gandhi as he made plans to grow a long beard, stop cutting his hair, buy a bunch of bright orange robes and start calling himself “Kumare” to complete what he thought was the image American expected from their Asian spiritual leaders.

It is more than a bit dismaying to see how easily this Kumare was accepted at face value by a dozen or more well-educated people in Phoenix.

In a brief excerpt, Kumare and a few disciples visit Tucson to get more followers. Kumare says right out that Tucson has more spiritual power than Phoenix,

So it is a little disappointing this pseudoprophet spends nearly all of his time in Phoenix. On the other hand, maybe Phoenicians are just more gullible.

Ultimately, the most touching point in what is a very sensitively edited film is that Kumare didn’t try to fool anybody. He didn’t ask anybody for money. He didn’t ask for anything. He simply sat with deep brown eyes and looked into the faces of his followers.

They easily made up their own reasons to believe in him, and insisted those reasons were valid. Observing how the powerful transformations of his followers look totally sincere, every person in the audience will have to ask “Is that all it takes?”  Each one of us could do this.

Not everybody would feel enlightened in our presence, but enough would to make the whole guru role worthwhile.  From here, it is an easy step to see how fundamentalist Christian preachers hold their congregations in such sway.

A little basic psychology and some sensitive intuition are enough for each disciple to open up his and her heart. Most instructive is the footage of Kumare talking, colleague to colleague, with other spiritual leaders (presumably in Phoenix) who come across as much less idealistic.

One of these bearded wonders with a decidedly rural American accent freely admits he is in it for all the free sex with his young female acolytes.

Gandhi as Kumare does find his own moral dilemma realizing he is loved by his own followers for all the wrong reasons. One woman asks if she should leave her husband. A recovering cocaine addict gives Kumare the credit for inspiring his newer, purer life.

The pressure of living a lie becomes too great for Gandi. His success has also become his albatross. The way he resolves it, which is also carefully filmed, is equally satisfying.