Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela

"Short Cut to Nirvana", the movie, is extremely informative yet with good sense of humor.

I felt touched and inspired by its magnitude and simplicity.

It shows 70 million people united for the sake of goodness, for peace and universal love.

The H. H. Dalai Lama appearance, his charisma, and his message of tolerance are deep and relevant.

It made me want to go to the next Kumbh Mela and experience more of it!

Thank Maurizio and Nick for this remarkable experience!

The message stays with you!

Peace for all!

This documentary takes you into the heart of the Kumbh Mela--a strangely beautiful festival in India. It's the next best thing to being there yourself.

The filmmakers do a good job of showing all aspects of the event (the good, the bad, and the ugly), without judging. They act only as observers and leave the viewer to draw their own conclusions.

Still, one can't help but come away with a feeling of hope for humanity. Some of the subjects appear to be "religious phonies", while others dispense sage words about life. But it's clear overall that most everyone there has a real desire for worldwide peace and unity--something that is sadly scarce in the modern world.

Highly recommended!

The film was itself a great reflection of what pilgrimages are composed of to those fellow worshippers. The filmmakers did a good job at capturing the scenes of India however I feel that they could've done a better job at actually getting in depth of specific activities that people participate in and how by doing so was a means of reaching their goal of spirituality. It captures the overall significance of Kumbh Mela and explains the traditional reasons as to why this scared place is flooded with tens of millions of people at a specific time and place nearly every decade.

Organizational religion is the typical standard at least from a western viewpoint but the fact that pilgrimages offers an opportunity to find religious purpose yourself is a whole entirely different experience in itself and which is why it makes this documentary especially profound.

It speaks volumes that millions of people can gather to celebrate this festival that takes place every twelve years without any problems, or casualty. That the Mela takes place in India, a poor country in comparison to the West, is a tribute to how the people there have achieved a state of nirvana. In general, all the different gurus, swamis, and different religious people seem to be honestly involved in the well being of their souls and passing this set of rules of conduct for anyone who wants to become spiritual and leave all the material trappings aside.

Director Maurizio Benazzo, and his collaborator, Nick Day, present us images that are exotic and in sharp contrast with what religion is seen and practiced in this country and others. We are taken to different people who speak directly into the camera and tell us their view about spirituality and how they have arrived at that plateau.

There are many interesting side trips to visit with the Dalai Lama, who made an appearance at the festival. His message is how Buddism can coexist with all religions based on mutual respect for other forms of religion. The documentary makes a point in how Hinduism is an ancient religion practiced since much before Christianity.

The directors make a point to watch through the camera lens but never make any statements or be judgmental about any aspect of the way the people that are attracted to do the pilgrimage worship.

This is a must see film for those who are curious about how other people on this planet live and celebrate.

A spectacular assault on the mind, eyes and ears. Nick Day and Maurizio Benazzo take us on a personal journey where we meet yogis, gurus, charlatans and the millions who come out to celebrate a pilgrimage that takes place only once every seven years. Day and Benazzo bring us to the hearts and minds of this curious celebration and we are left both stunned, overwhelmed, and wanting more. I found the film profoundly moving in that it showed the daily ups and downs of people who we didn't dream existed, and I was able to connect to their stories in a most basic sense of terms.

Go see this film when it opens in a theater near you.