The Controversial "The Love Guru" Set for Release

"Movie : THE LOVE GURU"

Though stated as a comedy, much before the release date was announced, several Hindu groups had objected to the release of the film, THE LOVE GURU, directed by Marco Schnabel, and starring Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Manu Narayan, Justin Timberlake, Verne Troyer, and Ben Kingsley.

 In the comedy The Love Guru, Pitka (Mike Myers in his first original character since Austin Powers) is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. His unorthodox methods are put to the test when he must settle a rift between Toronto Maple Leafs star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) and his estranged wife.

After the split, Roanoke’s wife starts dating L.A. Kings star Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake) out of revenge, sending her husband into a major professional skid – to the horror of the teams’ owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) and Coach Cherkov (Verne Troyer). Pitka must return the couple to marital nirvana and get Roanoke back on his game so the team can break the 40- year-old "Bullard Curse" and win the Stanley Cup.

 Earlier, Paramount Pictures had agreed to screen upcoming Hollywood movie The Love Guru for Hindu leaders. In a communiqué to prominent Indo-American leader Rajan Zed who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism (USH); Jessica Rovins, Senior Vice President National Publicity of Paramount Pictures, wrote: "The Love Guru - which is still in post-production - is a satire created in the same spirit as Austin Powers. Along with Mike Myers, the film stars Jessica Alba, Verne Troyer, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Deepak Chopra and Manu Narayan (who comes from a Hindu background). It is our full intention to screen the film for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders in the U.S. once we have a finished print." Rovins is publicist on this film.

 Hindus world over have generally welcomed the Paramount announcement for pre-screening the Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders before its public release but still remain worried about its apparent degrading of the institution of gurus.

Prominent Indo-American leader Rajan Zed, who spearheaded this issue, says that guru is a highly revered spiritual teacher/master/ preceptor in Hinduism who helps remove the ignorance of the seeker and who leads one from darkness to light. The guru-sishya (teacher-disciple) relationship lies at the heart of traditional Hinduism. Guru is often associated with the divine. Guru imparts spiritual knowledge completely free from selfish motives. Welcoming the decision of Paramount as a "positive step", Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr., President of the Association, in a statement, said that we must take religion seriously and businesses should give due regard to the feelings of adherents of various faiths. NCA is composed of priests/pastors/ministers/etc. of Christian (various denominations), Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Bahai, Native American, etc., religions in (US state of) Nevada.

India Heritage Panel president Lila D. Sharma, in a statement in India, said that he was pleased at Paramount for being considerate to the Hindu sensitivities and asked Hollywood to refrain from creating stereotypes of Hindus and other people of India in the future.  

Jessica Rovins, Senior Vice President National Publicity of Paramount Pictures, in a telephonic conversation with Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that "The Love Guru" is a comedy and the purpose is to entertain and we are not making this movie to offend anybody.  

BY RITU PANDEY