Searching for Sheela is a 2021 Indian documentary film created, directed[1] and executive produced by Shakun Batra.[2] The film traces the life of Ma Anand Sheela,[3] who was the spokesperson of the Rajneesh movement, when she returns to India for the first time in 35 years.[4] The film is produced by Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment and was released on Netflix on 22 April 2021.[5]
| Searching for Sheela | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Shakun Batra |
| Produced by | Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Somen Mishra |
| Edited by | Nitesh Bhatia |
| Music by | Benedict Taylor Naren Chandavarkar |
Production companies | Dharmatic Jouska Films |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 58 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of eight critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.80/10.[6]
Sayan Ghosh of The Hindu noted that the film "barely manages to scratch the surface, leaving bare a hollow exterior, despite concerted efforts to conceal it within a shiny facade."[7] Tatsam Mukherjee from Firstpost called the film a "crime against journalism" and "so tremendously low on insight and curiosity about someone as fascinating as Sheela that it seems like a criminal waste of an opportunity."[8] Saibal Chatterjee said that the film is "an extended, circuitous version of a Koffee With Karan episode that ferrets out nothing of import."[9]
Writing for Hindustan Times, Rohan Naahar opined that the documentary is a "Dharma-style, surface-level profile of Ma Anand Sheela" that "brushes aside everything that is interesting about her in favour of fluff."[10] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in wrote: "Unfolding mostly as a very long out-take from Wild Wild Country, the puff piece seeks to project [Sheela] as an enigma and a survivor [..] but the film actually comes across as an attempt to follow an entertaining yarn all the way to its last, fraying thread."[11]
References
edit- ^ Frater, Patrick (23 April 2021). "'Searching for Sheela' Doc, About 'Wild Wild Country's' Ma Anand Sheela, Finds Its Star Unflinching and Unapologetic". Variety.
- ^ Farzeen, Sana (13 April 2021). "Searching for Sheela trailer: Netflix puts the focus on Ma Anand Sheela's controversial life, watch". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "'Searching for Sheela' Summary & Analysis - A Misplaced Sense of Feminism | DMT". Digital Mafia Talkies. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Searching for Sheela trailer: Shakun Batra's Netflix film picks up where Wild Wild Country left off". Hindustan Times. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Searching For Sheela Trailer Talk: Netflix Docu Explores The Journey From Cult Member To Cult Figure". Film Companion. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Searching for Sheela (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ Ghosh, Sayan (23 April 2021). "'Searching for Sheela' review: A problematic take on Ma Anand Sheela's complex legacy". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Mukherjee, Tatsam (23 April 2021). "Why Dharmatic's Netflix documentary Searching For Sheela is a crime against Journalism 101". Firstpost. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (23 April 2021). "Searching For Sheela Review: A Hollow Window-Dressed Shell". NDTV. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Naahar, Rohan (22 April 2021). "Searching for Sheela movie review: Ma Anand Sheela gets Dharma treatment in Netflix's directorless documentary". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Ramnath, Nandini (22 April 2021). "'Searching For Sheela' review: A quest that goes nowhere (and probably never intended to)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 April 2021.