Skip to main content

A pale shadow of her former self!

Searching for Sheela (2021)
Netflix, Documentary.

After forming a generally negative impression about Ma Anand Sheela from the documentary 'Wild Wild Country', it was only natural that a show focused on Sheela would excite everyone. To recapitulate, Ma Anand Sheela was Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's (@Osho) personal assistant when he set up a commune in Wasco County in Oregon. Even though the commune members changed a wasteland into the sprawling modern township, the earlier settlers were not amused with their seemingly bizarre lifestyle. 

One thing led to another, and finally, Ma Anand Sheela was convicted for attempted murder when the commune was accused of starting a bioterror attack to win the local elections. She is said to have masterminded salmonella contamination of salads at a local eatery. She was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. After finishing 39 months of her sentence, she fled to Switzerland before she could be splashed with other surmounting charges.

Osho @ Bhagwan Rajneesh
As she could not be expedited to the US, she was trialled in Switzerland, found guilty of attempted murder of a US prosecutor. Still, her sentence was offset with her previous incarceration in the US. Her following years were filled with caring for the mentally challenged. Finally, after 35 years since her last visit to India, Sheela gets approval to return home. It appears that segments of the high society of India and the members of the Bollywood mafia were instrumental in her free passage to India. 

The moment Karan Johar appeared on screen to interview Sheela, it was evident that the rest would be just glitz and fanfare. True enough, her trip to India turned out to be just interviews at dinner parties with the who-is-who of the Indian elite. I got a certain vibe that Sheela was caricatured as an innocent victim played out by the rest and had wrongly served time. She seems to have dodged the million-dollar question about her guilt.  She cunningly avoided giving direct answers when journalists asked her about her past. 

The rest of the documentary is her trip emotional down memory lane reminiscing her early days in Gujerat, where life was less complicated. 

Hence, at the twilight of one's life, the things that matter most are the simple things that one savour in the simplest way of living. It is not the glitz and razzmatazz of high life that matter. So it is sobering to see the hard-talking 'tough titties' Ma Anand Sheela as a soft-spoken, calm lady, a pale shadow of her former self.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar:  The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad  (Telegu, 2024) Director:  Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...
Post a Comment
Read more

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari   and Dr Jaya Shreedhar.  ( Abs:  Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...
2 comments
Read more