Turns out the guru was made up, but the followers’ faith was real, and ‘Kumaré’ shows just how convincing the act became.

Kumare, Vikram Gandhi's documentary, revisits his staged experiment creating a fake guru to observe real followers, exploring belief, ritual, and authority. Released twelve years ago, the film's findings endure as wellness influencers mimic guru aesthetics online; participants reported benefits despite the deception, while critics debate the ethics of consent and deception in documentary practice.