Despite controversies this Guru tickles

THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED ON THE INDIAN EXPRESS (US and Canada Circulation) - 27 June 2008

The Love Guru turns out to be a complete laugh riot, irrespective of all the controversies and discontent it has evoked amongst Hindu communities about how it desecrates Hinduism and its doctrines. It comes as a shock though, as to how Mike Myers, who co-produces, co-writes and plays guru Pitka' in the movie, has managed to secure a PG-13 rating for a film inundated by concupiscent remarks and gestures!

But Mike, seems to have answers for all of that. "When they see the film they'll know, what Guru Pitka believes in, has a mythical, fictional non-denominational belief system and is about the "force"(as in Star Wars). This is a tribute to all notions of spirituality and its non-denominational and that is the end of it", he says at a pre-release press conference at Waldorf Astoria.

A comedian who just loves to make people laugh, Mike, believes,"A comedian is forced to nibble at things but I never bite or break the skin, I do this with hockey and myself too (chuckles). But of course, if I have offended anybody then I apologize for that. I have never wanted to hurt anybody's feelings but at the same time it's my duty as an artist to be misunderstood."
In the movie, Pitka is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spiritualism. His unorthodox methods are put to test when he is called upon to bridge the gap between Toronto Maple Leaf's star hockey player and his estranged wife.
Whatever might be the fate of this guru at the box-office, but his tall, dark and handsome Indian chela, Rajneesh played by Manu Narayan, the unforgettable Akash' of Andrew Lloyd Webber's mega-hit Broadway musical, Bombay Dreams, definitely gives a commendable performance. Mike agrees too, "If you cut open Manu, you will see, he is made up of 99% talent and 1% water, just the same as Justin Timberlake. They are from the same factory. These people come to play and they make things better than already. He is a beautiful soul who I have the great privilege of now counting as my friend."

Manu, born and brought up in Delmont near Pittsburg, started off being a theatre artist with occasional guest appearances in soaps like The Sopranos, Law and Order and Lipstick Jungle. After earning a double degree in voice and saxophonefromCarnegieMellon University, he took lessons in Carnatic music from South India, where his parents originally come from.

When asked about his interests, Manu, also a professional singer and dancer beams, "What I like about my career so far is to be able to do both (music & acting) and would love to continue doing so. Being a Hollywood star (laughs) is an awesome life. You get to do great projects and work with wonderful people like Mike Myers and that would be a dream come true if it happens. I would also love to do some Bollywood or Tamil movies. Doors are definitely opening now. I was asked by Kamal Hassan to do "Dashavataram" but unfortunately I wasn't able to at that time."

As a South Asian, Manu has faced racial issues during his struggling years and feels it's tough to pervade the community barrier and make a career as an American actor. He had even opened up a South Asian theatre called Rasa Theatre with his friends. "There is such a need because there aren't many South Asian playwrights here. In order to get better turnouts in our community, playwrights need to be produced. As our writers get more proficient, good stories will be written and more South-Asian theme-based movies produced in Hollywood. Besides, things are opening up more and more. We, as a South Asian community have become more vocal about our tastes, therefore, Hollywood is going to write more for us," concludes the optimistic Manu.