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Zed cries off,
but frankly, what's wrong with Love Guru?
WSN Network
 “The
Love Guru” has got the goat of Indo-American leader Rajan Zed who is
leading some Hindu protests against the film, and is being backed
‘mind-body’ guy Deepak Chopra who makes a living by repackaging
Hindu concepts, terminology, and products.
Zed has said Hindus
the world over are deeply concerned about the apparent denigration
of their traditions by this movie portrayal of Hindu characters like
buffoons and parody of yoga, which is one of the six schools of
Hindu philosophy. He said Paramount Pictures, presenters of ‘The
Love Guru’, should make amends to reflect their concerns.
But it seems the
entire row is much ado over nothing. Many Indian journalists
previewing Mike Myers' new comedy ahead of its June 20 release
seemed to have enjoyed the movie.
Reshma Dordi, host
and executive producer of Showbiz India TV, called it "an
entertainer" and a "Bollywood masala film" that has "comedy, drama,
romance, a little action and song and dance like most Bollywood
films."
The film portrays
the adventures of 'Guru Pitka', raised in an ashram in India, who
comes to seek fame and fortune in the US.
Harish Rao,
co-founder and creative director of DesiYou.com, called it a great
'complete' comedy."
Some 40 Indian
journalists across the US attended the advance screenings of the
film.
Dordi, in fact, was
quoted as saying that she was "impressed with the research that went
into implementing and portraying the finer layers through comedy."
Asked to comment on
self-styled Hindu leader Rajan Zed's charge that the "film lampoons
Hinduism and Hindus and uses Hindu terms frivolously", Dordi said:
"I personally don't feel that. The film is very 'Mike Myers' style
of comedy.'
Rao too considered
Zed's charge as "quite ironic". "He claims that the film offends the
sensibilities of Hindus without even seeing a film. This is the most
egregious form of self-publicity I have ever seen."
In fact, Zed's
entire campaign seems to be about Hindu spiritual leaders having the
ability to 'sign off' or 'approve' any film as if he is the
authority of what constitutes 'sensibility' for the believer in
Hinduism. 'The Love Guru' really doesn't poke fun at Indian culture,
or spirituality at all but rather people's obsession or
interpretation of said culture.
18
June,
2008
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