Purva Bedi Movies

Kumare is a yogi and holy man from India who has come to the American Southwest to share his knowledge and help others achieve spiritual enlightenment. He's also a phony, the invention of filmmaker Vikram Gandhi, who was born and raised in New York City and is fascinated by the way many Americans are drawn to the perceived exoticism of the East. Knowing little about yoga or traditional Indian spiritual practice, Gandhi traveled to Phoenix, AZ, set himself up as the new prophet in town, making up his "wisdom" as he want along and allowing his camera crew to capture what happens to those who take the bait. A surprisingly large number of intelligent and thoughtful people became Kumare's disciples, and in the documentary Kumare, Gandhi allows us to ponder if his followers are dupes or simply people looking for spiritual solace who take their enlightenment where they can get it. At the same time, Gandhi is forced to look at himself and Kumare's unexpected impact on the community. Kumare received its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two young Texans locked in a pre-arranged marriage do their best to convince their parents to call the impending nuptials off in a romantic comedy directed by Shiraz Jafri and featuring Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle star Kal Penn. Ameet (Sunil Malhotra) and Saima (Lisa Ray) were more than happy apart when their marriage-minded parents insisted that they spend the rest of their lives together. Now, with their engagement cemented and the wedding frenzy kicking into overdrive, Ameet, Saima, and Ameet's best friend Bobby (Penn) must break every rule in the book to prove that their marriage will only spell misery for all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A feature film debut for Indian director Piyush Dinker Pandya, American Desi centers around Krishna Reddy (Deep Katdare), who calls himself Kris to escape the traditionalism of his Indian family. Desiring to be an all-American type of guy, Kris enters college with good friend Eric (Eric Axen) and begins a new world of freedom away from his protective family. As soon as he arrives on campus, he learns that he has been roomed with three Indian roommates: Jagjit (Ronobir Lahiri), a budding artist, Salim (Rizwan Manji), an old-fashioned believer in Eastern ideals, and Ajay (Kal Penn), who immerses himself in Afrocentric culture. Kris also meets a young student named Nina (Purva Bedi), with whom he falls instantly in love, but fails at first to realize that she too is Indian. An unforeseen opponent, Rakesh (Anil Kumar), threatens to separate the two, with his appreciation of the lifestyles Kris has often rejected in favor of a more American bent. Through his relationship with Nina, Kris begins to get in touch with his heritage, finding that the Western adoptions he has clung to his whole life have prevented him from discovering his true identity. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi