Guru - Bhagwan, His Secretary & His Bodyguard (with german subtitles)

In the ‘70s an extraordinary experiment took place to build an alternative, peaceful commune. Thousands of young people – mostly from the West – flocked to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s Ashram in Poona /India, looking for enlightenment, self-fulfillment and an alternative to the nuclear family. Famed for his philosophy that sex was the key to higher consciousness, he became known as “the Sex Guru”. In the ‘80s the Ashram was moved to Oregon to make room for an ever-growing community, whose lifestyle was not tolerated in India any longer. Clashes with the community and U.S. authorities, and Bhagwan’s bizarre interest in rather worldly things (his excessive Rolls Royce collection) reveal and /or further changes in the spirit of the commune and its leader. Two former close aids to the Guru alternate in sharing their own – and the story of the rise and fall of this experiment: Hugh Milne, former bodyguard, and Sheela Birnstiel, ex-secretary and spokesperson. These very differently motivated personalities, personally close for a while, turned adversaries in the end; both their lives come crashing down, before they find their paths to their present lives. The interviewer is edited out, making this a very exciting and intimate, one on one experience, illustrated by rare archival film clips.

Running time: 98 Minutes

Production: CH 2010