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Mike Myer's "Love Guru" banned in India

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The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Hindu groups in India are seeking to ban Mike Myers new film, The Love Guru. In it, the shagadelic Austin Powers actor portrays a character called Guru Pitka, who is dubbed the "second best guru in India." Unfortunately not everyone is seeing the funny side of Myer's self-help industry satire, and pressure is apparently being put on India's Central Board of Film Certification and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ban screenings of the film in the country.

Bhavna Shinde, a representative of the Mumbai-based Hindu organization Janjagruti Samiti, is quoted as saying that Indian censors should, "stop distributing or screening the movie till Paramount has made necessary changes ... so that it will not hurt the feelings of the worldwide spiritual and Hindu community." American-based religious leader, Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has accused the film of "lampooning Hinduism."

Myer's Love Guru co-stars include Justin Timberlake, Jessica Alba, Daily Show funny man John Oliver (as Dick Pants), and Gandhi star Ben Kingsley (as Guru Tugginmypudha). Real life uber guru Deepak Chopra also has a cameo role, and is featured in the film's publicity campaign. Guru groupies can log on to FavoriteGuru.com to vote for the man they'd most like to follow. So far Myer's alter ego Guru Pitka is leading with 62% of the vote, compared to Chopra's 38%, making it more decisive than a Democratic primary (if you ignore West Virgina like the superdelegates are).

Before Myer's started filming The Love Guru, he spent some quality time with Chopra to get the right vibe. In 2006 the double act appeared on The Sundance Channel's series Iconoclasts, and spent the day together in preparation for a symposium on comedy and spirituality that evening.

Chopra explained the need for laughter in spirituality, saying that, "When your soul responds to the paradox of our existence, to the contradictions of our existence, to the fact that wherever there is joy there is suffering, when your soul recognizes this, it can do nothing except laugh."

Myers closed the show, by saying, "Everything that I've read suggests that enlightenment is lightening up." After recent events, he may want to revise that statement.

http://www.dailymantra.com
AndreaKnoll

11 responses // Mike Myer's "Love Guru" banned in India

  • Chopra is very cool.

    Myers is great.

    thanks for this. I will go see it and give you my review.
    1Eco_Media
  • Great post !!! I have found in life, Humor is the most divine energy. We exist in a big cosmic joke, everything is an irony. Defined by it opposite... to see it is to see crazy funny truths !!! I met many gurus, like the western guru ... Rom Doss ... and many other famous people known for spirituality ... the only ones that really seemed to "have" it was the light hearted ones ..Get it "LIGHT" hearted ... Gawd is light ..Light-ness is Gawdly !!!
    TheCocoon
  • I dont where to start?
    ArtLiquidBlogspot
  • I don't see why they're making such a big deal about this. Humour is always at another's expense, no matter the circumstances.
    CapraRoyale
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4670370.stm
    Image...
    Yes, but apparently there are some religions you can poke fun at, and others that you can't.....Remember the great "Muhammad cartoon row."


    AndreaKnoll
  • Everything is a valid subject of humor. The more that something is deemed to be too sacred for humor, the easier it is to to find something about it to laugh at.

    Here's a great link about the theory of humor:
    http://www.tomveatch.com/else/humor/paper/humor.html

    BentFranklin
  • who didn't see this coming?
    StuntBunny
  • love is endless
    ArtLiquidBlogspot
  • Too funny! I bet most people in India won't care. Probably only the extreme religious HIndus get offended. Those in the middle would laugh. I can't wait to see the film! But Andrea -- is it really "banned" if there's only been rumblings about not distributing it? A bit of a teaser headline?
    Julie_Soller
  • Readers Digest nailed it on the head...laughter is the best medicine.....yall inhabitants of Earth need it in extreme doses....not all..you know the ones...straighten there wagons for em....if you take and get a chance...........Golden Ruler........Will..........................
    Virtual_Will_Rogers
  • http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/theloveguru/med...
    Image...
    Apple trailer.
    1Eco_Media

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