On Monday, the trailer of the much awaited documentary ‘Searching for Sheela’ was released by Netflix India and Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar. The 2 minute trailer gives a glimpse of Ma Anand Sheela who was the top aide of Indian Guru and the founder of the Rajneesh movement Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
Ma Anand Sheela was the former trusted aide of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the controversial god man popularly known as Osho. Her involvement in the ‘1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack’ was documented in Wild Wild Country. She pleaded guilty in the year 1986 and since then she has been living in Switzerland. The upcoming documentary titled ‘Searching for Sheela’ will document her life and her journey through India.
While sharing the trailer on Monday, Netflix India wrote, “History wasn’t written for her, but she’s here to tell her story now.” The trailer shows how Ma Anand Sheela’s life transformed after she was accused of fraud and murder. It also has a segment where she is being interviewed by Filmmaker Karan Johar. The documentary has also been been co-produced by Dharmatic Entertainment which is the digital wing of Johar’s Dharma Productions.
History wasn't written for her, but she's here to tell her story now.#SearchingForSheela@karanjohar @apoorvamehta18 #MaAnandSheela @shakunbatra @aneeshabaig @dharmatic_ #jouskafilms pic.twitter.com/IuWyj4bGnJ
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) April 12, 2021
Johar also shared the trailer and wrote on twitter, “You’ve seen her, you’ve heard her and you’ve definitely heard about her. Now she’s here to tell you her own story. #SearchingforSheela streaming from 22nd April, only on Netflix (sic).”
The trailer also shows a couple of other interviews, one with Barkha Dutt where Ma Anand Sheela, not falling for her tough questions, says, ‘I cannot satisfy you’.
According to Netflix the 58-minute documentary focuses entirely on Sheela and her personality and explores her journey through India. The description by Netflix read, “Does Sheela seek redemption or remains completely unaffected? Was Sheela a criminal or a woman in love? Is Sheela good or bad, black or white?”
Sheela commented on the documentary and said, “Searching for Sheela’ will give you a glimpse of my real self, my identity, my life and its evolution over the last 40 years. This film is about my journey of returning to my home in India, a journey I have longed for many years. It captures the rollercoaster of emotions I experienced on this journey very well. I am looking forward to sharing my story with the world.”
The documentary will be streaming on Netflix from 22nd April.
