Published 18:00 IST, November 20th 2019
Bikram Yoga features in a Netflix Series - what do we know about it?
Netflix’s new documentary charts the story of Hot Yoga founder Bikram Choudhury, who has been accused of multiple rapes. Here’s all you need to know about it.
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Fitness seemed to have become almost a religion in itself with new classes springing up all over the world like Crossfit and SoulCycle. A similar one was that of Bikram Choudhury’s 90-minute yoga classes which transcended from religion to being an almost fanatic cult. During these 90 minutes, 26 yoga postures were reportedly performed in a room heated to 120 degrees. Always seen in his signature black speedo and tight ponytail, Bikram rose to infamous heights with accusations of sexual harassment, rape charges, and reported maniacal control.
Netflix has come up with a documentary on this yoga guru, Bikram Choudhury. It is titled Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator and has been directed by Eva Orner. It streams online from today, that is, November 20, 2019, and falls under the Crime Documentary genre on the website. The documentary had premiered in the Toronto International Film Festival 2019.
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator has been bankrolled by Sarah Anthony. Director Orner started working on the documentary in the summer of 2017, a few months before #MeToo hit the headlines. During the various statements made under the #MeToo campaign, Bikram was also found a mention. In an interview with a leading daily, Orner said,
This is a pre #MeToo story that’s being told in a post #MeToo world, and he got away with it, which is chilling
However, this is not the first on-screen record of his abuse. Earlier, on ESPN 30 for 30 podcast BIKRAM, reporter Julia Henderson delved into the same theme. She was reportedly a Bikram yoga devotee herself.
The documentary casts Bikram Choudhury as himself. In the 86 minutes of the movie, director Orner had traced the full arc of the character’s life. The documentary begins with his life in Kolkata and moves on to his subsequent shift to the United States. There, very quickly, he gathered a celebrity clientele building up to a global fitness empire. The yogi also claimed to have coached Elvis Priestly and save Richard Nixon from a leg amputation in the documentary.
See the trailer of Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator here:
16:05 IST, November 20th 2019