Years after his demise in 1990, controversial godman Osho continues to stir the imagination. Formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Osho was recently the subject of a six-part Netflix Original documentary series, called ‘Wild, Wild Country’. Now he will be the subject of a biographical drama, Osho: Lord of the Full Moon. A big-budget Indo-Italian co-venture, the project sees leading Bollywood producer Subhash Ghai joining forces with Rome-based Navala Prods.
The controversial India mystic Osho had proposed alternative rules for living and self-improvement. His 600 books remain hugely popular best-sellers. The upcoming film will contain action from the time that India gained independence from British colonial rule, as well as more poetic flashbacks. Besides Osho, the other main character of the film is a female TV journalist who puts her career at stake trying to discover if the guru is a con man, or an enlightened genius. Answering this question changes her life.
To be directed by Italy-based Lakshen Sucameli from a screenplay by Sucameli and Kamlesh Pandey, Guido de Laurentiis is set as line producer. Director of photography is Fabio Cianchetti (The Dreamers, The Tiger and the Snow, Go Go Tales.)
The casting and the choice of international sales company are to be announced within the next month.
Ghai’s stockmarket-listed Mukta Arts is one of India’s leading studios. It operates cinemas and is a distributor-producer. Ghai is one of the founders of the Whistling Woods film school, which this week announced a partnership with Reliance Jio to develop courses on virtual reality.
A self-admitted avid reader of Osho, last year on the occasion of the 86th birthday of Osho, filmmaker Subhash Ghai had released a book based on the life of Osho’s first disciple and his chief administrator Laxmi. Titled ‘The Only Life: Osho, Laxmi and a Journey of the Heart’ is the story of an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary life.
Speaking at the launch of the book, in the presence of 500-600 Osho lovers, filmmaker Ghai said that Osho as a master uses every trick and device to awaken those who understand the need for change.
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