In “Kumare,” a young man of Indian decent, Vikram Gandhi, has a crisis of faith and decides to debunk so-called spiritual leaders by pretending to be one himself.
A native of New Jersey, Vikram grows his hair and beard long, dons some robes, uses a broken English accent and reinvents himself as Sri Kumare, a wise Indian guru who has come to visit America.
He develops a small following in Phoenix with the teachings of his made-up Kumare principles, complete with chants, exercises and meditations. His people love him, and he learns to love them in return.
But something happens during the process; Kumare begins to realize that he has developed a strong connection with these people.
Most important, he has told them all along that the answers to their own spirituality lie within themselves and not in him.
The only question that remains is: How is he going to tell them that it was all make-believe? What will their reaction be?
Call it a social experiment or an innocent betrayal, but did Kumare’s grand illusion accomplish anything besides making a handful of people feel like idiots? You won’t believe the results unless you see them for yourself.