Bikram Choudhury was at the forefront of popularizing yoga in North America and around the world. This insightful outing from filmmaker Eva Orner (Chasing Asylum) lifts the lid on a harrowing tale of immoral activities in the guise of spiritual guidance. It launches on Netflix Nov. 20. Watch all you want. Despite being found guilty in a civil case where he was ordered to pay almost $7 million, Bikram has avoided paying by fleeing the country. And the teacher training required to open a franchise ultimately guaranteed him a steady pool of women to prey upon. This documentary charts the rise and fall of hot yoga founder Bikram Choudhury as his global empire is born and disturbing revelations come to light. "Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator" Courtesy of TIFF Looks like Bikram yoga may not be hot for much longer. The first third of the film is about how Bikram views himself. While Hampton made sure to include psychological experts to put … He went on to launch the Bikram yoga studio franchise, which ultimately made him a millionaire. While Hampton made sure to include psychological experts to put R. Kelly’s abuse into context for a broad audience, Orner assumes a shared knowledge of the dynamics of abuse. These vignettes are a disturbing window into the mind of a man who displays a well-honed ability to manipulate, mainly through verbal abuse masked as "teaching.". What lingers after seeing this documentary is certainly a residue of disgust and rage, but also the gnawing feeling that on some level we’re not all that different from these women. The bitter pill that Orner wants us to swallow above all else: Bikram has gotten away with his alleged crimes, and it’s not unreasonable to think that he may never be held accountable. Part of a crop of #MeToo-themed films screening at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, the doc centers on chilling accounts from victims who say that Choudhury sexually assaulted and, in some cases, raped them. Director Eva Orner, who won an Oscar for her work as a producer of Alex Gibney's 2007 documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, takes a deep dive into the history of alleged sexual predation by one of the biggest names in yoga, Bikram Choudhury, the founder of what is known as "hot yoga.". Venue: Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF Docs)Production company: Pulse FilmsDistributor: NetflixDirector: Eva OrnerExecutive Producers: Emma Cooper, Marisa Clifford, Thomas BenskiProducers: Eva Orner, Sarah AnthonyDirector of photography: Jenna RosherEditors: Kimberley Hassett, Forrest BorieMusic: Cornel Wilczek, Pascal Babare. Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator. The film is an incisive, no holds-barred doc that holds a sexual predator accountable for his actions and gives voice to the survivors of his crimes. The spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury is chronicled through archival footage and extensive insider interviews. The premise revolves around Bikram Choudhury and how he built his yoga business.. Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator arrived to Netflix on Wednesday November 20. Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator Trailer #1 (2019) Eva Orner Documentary Movie HD Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (USA, 82 min.) But Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator could stand to connect the dots a bit more. There’s still an active warrant for his arrest in California, not to mention multiple sexual-misconduct-related lawsuits pending against him, but his exile unfortunately provides legal cover. RDV CANADA PANEL The Big Screen: Have Rumours of My Demise Been Greatly Exaggerated? He holds a Master’s in Film Studies from Carleton University where his research focused on adaptation and Canadian cinema. Who hasn’t taken a yoga class and been enamored of the teacher? BIKRAM: YOGI, GURU, PREDATOR examines the dramatic rise and fall of the controversial founder of hot yoga, Bikram Choudhury. “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” director Eva Orner, right, and Sarah Baughn, an alleged sexual assault victim of yoga instructor Bikram, are photographed at Orner’s home in Nichols Canyon. As the film progresses, it shatters the heroic image of Bikram in painstaking detail. 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Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator is a fairly straightforward, talking-head–driven story of how Bikram Choudhury built the Bikram Yoga empire and subsequently used his … The footage that Orner was able to secure is impressive, particularly the many clips of Bikram teaching his classes wearing only a black Speedo and a Rolex. Additionally, even though much of the narration in the film comes from survivors of Choudhury’s abuse, the doc is so concerned with taking down Bikram that it overshadows the victims’ stories at times. Imagine Donald Trump as a yogi, and you get an idea of his level of megalomania. Eva Orner Programme: TIFF Docs (World Premiere) Eva Orner delivers a pre-#MeToo tale for the #MeToo movement with Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator. An immigrant who settled in Beverly Hills in the 1970s, Choudhury was among the first Indian teachers to bring yoga to the United States, and his hot yoga classes flourished among a word-of-mouth following that included celebrities like Shirley MacLaine and Quincy Jones. He was rude and insulting to students; in Netflix's 2019 documentary film, Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator directed by Eva Orner, he uses abusive language and jeers at overweight pupils. Cast; Crew; Details ; Genres; Cast. Toronto: Hollywood Reporter's Photo Portfolio With Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Tom Hanks, Michael B. Jordan and More. 10:15 PM PDT 9/9/2019 by Beandrea July The Bottom Line A necessary watch in the #MeToo era. © 2020 The Hollywood Reporter. 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Bikram Choudhury was at the forefront of popularizing yoga … Bikram Choudhury was at the forefront of popularizing yoga in North America and around the world. In the doc, Robinson says she avoided hip replacement surgery because of her intensive Bikram yoga studies. Unlike the multi-episode podcast, “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” doesn’t cover every side of Choudhury’s story in detail. ... “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” is more than an indictment … Synopsis. It’s also about how his students went from revering their beloved teacher to fearing him. EO: “Bikram” tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of the controversial founder of hot yoga, Bikram Choudhury. Bikram Choudhury, the famous founder of … The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, and released on Netflix on November 20, 2019. Longtime students like Val Sklar Robinson, who eventually became a Bikram yoga studio owner in Southern California, recount stories of miraculous results that came from doing the Bikram practice. Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator is a 2019 documentary film directed by Eva Orner and starring Larissa Anderson, Francesca Asumah and Sarah Baughn. But Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator could stand to connect the dots a bit more. Pat Mullen is POV ’s Online Co-editor, etc. It is mentioned in Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator that the hot-yoga instructor has a family. 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator': Film Review | TIFF 2019 Courtesy of TIFF. Orner succeeds at evoking a deep sense of empathy for the survivors of Choudhury’s abuse, and although that’s not the same thing as justice, perhaps it’s a place to start. The latest one-off Netflix documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator uncovers the darkness behind Bikram Choudhury and his hot yoga empire. We hear what drew these women to Bikram, what he did to them, but we know little about where they are now or how they have survived. A film titled Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, based on the life of controversial yoga guru Bikram Choudhury who built an empire of hundreds of studios in North America and later got accused of rape and sexual harassment, had its world premiere in the 44th Toronto Film Festival on September 10. Over the years, Bikram Choudhury’s story had received steady press coverage, but now with key figures going on camera to describe their complicated, abusive journey there was a cloud looming to destroy the empire. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (TIFF Docs), Sept. 9, 2019. BIKRAM: YOGI, GURU, PREDATOR, is an hour and a half deep dive into Choudhury's life. Now takes place in hundreds of cities and is credited with changing people s... Of her intensive Bikram yoga studio franchise, which ultimately made him a millionaire: Reporter! 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