Bhagwan (1978)

director Robert Hillmann

advert in the 1979 Yoga Journal

This documentary was produced and directed by Robert Hillmann (USA). It was shot in December 1975 in Poona (Pune), India and premiered at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.

Much of the documentary shows the events on Osho’s birthday, Dec 11, 1975.

The discourse Osho gave on that day was Come Follow Me Vol 3 ~ 06. This film has the only known recording of that event: parts of the discourse are shown, and more of Osho's words are used as a voice-over.

The only known copy of the 16mm film was transferred to VHS tape in 1980 and digitally remastered in 2000. The remastered copies of the film are overlaid with German subtitles.

A description by Osho Film Festival :

The first comprehensive film document about Osho and the early years of the Ashram

What was it like to walk with Jesus in Galilee? To dance with Krishna and the Gopis? To meditate in the commune of Gautama Buddha? Many of us have wondered and imagined - but of course there never was, nor never will be, a photographic record of these world-shaking events. Today, though, things are different.

This film, made by an American director in the Shree Rajneesh Ashram, Poona, in 1975, captures events that may well in the course of time prove every bit as memorable. It is narrated, without lip-sync, and subtitled in German.

For years it was lost and, especially at the start of the film, has suffered a little damage - yet strangely this only gives a greater sense of history in the making, captured in unique and intimate footage, beginning and ending with the personal reflections of the film-maker.

In those early days, the ashram was a distinctively Indian experience. The bicycles and rickshaws of the Poona streets, the children and the buffalo, are evocatively captured, so much so that one can almost smell the myriad smells and feel the midday heat.

Many of the scenes within the ashram gates were shot on a celebration day, and here too the proceedings are very much Indian, including puja-offerings of flowers, incense and even a decorated cow as a birthday gift to Osho, with his mother and father in attendance.

The ashram, at this stage, consisted of little more than a single house.

Such a record as this can only be a revelation to those who came later.

There is the master in the midst of the dancing throng, people pushing to touch his feet, some having to be carried away, out of their senses from that most intimate contact.

The ashram musicians provide the soundtrack, together with well-chosen excerpts from a discourse on Jesus.

There are also long and fascinating sequences of the Dynamic and Kundalini meditations - it is a rare thing to be able to sit and watch these in progress, to notice the tentativeness of some, the stiffness of others, the beautiful flowing energy, or devotion, or meditativeness of others again.

There are even shots of the first experiments in group therapy. And here, too, it is very clear how small and ramshackle-intimate the commune then was, at a time when the first flood of Western Sannyasins was only just beginning to gather.

This film is an unmissable experience for anyone who has any interest at all in its subject. Nobody could miss the sense of privilege – almost like witnessing a birth - nor fail to be impressed by what has been achieved since.

The order, cleanliness and assurance was yet to come - but here is passion, intensity, discovery, ecstasy.

Take the chance and watch it - you will want to see it again and again - and let your heart be awoken anew to the real power and mystery of life with a master.

language

English (also with German subtitles)

released

1978

length

49 min

credits

directed and photographed by

Robert Hillmann

written and edited by

Samvada

music by

Hare Chaitanya Deuter

produced by

Robert Hillmann - producer

Alfred Hillmann - post production supervisor

location sound recording by

Larry Marks

narration recording

David Dobkin

Steven Hill

sound editing by

Alfred Hillmann

sound mixing by

Will Harvey (STUDIO C)

cinematography

Charles Rudnick - opening title sequence

STOP FRAME - titles

assistant editor

John Fante

negative cutters

Michael Rudnick

Debra McDermott

see also

OshoFilmArchive catalog no : OFA00,004

OshoViha

Osho Anubhuti Meditation Center, München

Osho, 1975 on OshoNews

Film review by Sw Prem Sakal

Osho Film Festival

film

Available on Vimeo as "Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Osho - Film Document".

OIF claims to own the copyright of the film and has requested YouTube to take it down.

stills

04min 40sec Chaotic mecitation.

05min 06sec Sw Sardar Gurudayal Singh (aka Sardarji).

06min 11sec Sw Paritosh (old Paritosh).

09min 57sec Ma Anand Rupa.

10min 52sec Sw Sardar Gurudayal Singh (aka Sardarji).

12min 21sec Deeksha’s mother.

12min 30sec Sw Sardar Gurudayal Singh (aka Sardarji).

13min 37sec Ma Yoga Taru.

13min 45sec A cow as a present for his birthday.

14min 03sec Sw Jayantibhai.

14min 03sec Sw Jayantibhai.

14min 05sec.

14min 27sec Mataji (Osho’s mother).

14min 33sec Dadaji (Osho’s father).

14min 35sec Sw Narendra Bodhisattva.

14min 40sec Dadaji (left) and Narendra (right) making offerings.

14min 48sec Narendra and Dadaji blessing the new Land Rover.

15min 11sec Ma Yoga Taru.

18min 17sec Sw Anand Prageet (left).

18min 30sec.

18min 39sec.

22min 01sec.

22min 56sec Sw Venu Gopal.

26min 20sec Sw Chidananda (right).

30min 28sec.

30min 28sec.

30min 28sec Sw Sardar Gurudayal Singh (aka Sardarji) .

34min 00sec Ma Krishna Radha.

34min 09sec Sw Krishna Saraswati (middle).

34min 25sec Ma Yoga Sudha holding Ma Krishna Radha.

34min 41sec Ma Yoga Sudha holding Ma Krishna Radha.

34min 56sec.

35min 37sec Sw Vidyarthi.

35min 37sec Sw Vidyarthi.

36min 12sec Sw Anand Prageet.

36min 43sec Laherubhai (Sw Chaitanya Sagar).

36min 43sec Laherubhai (Sw Chaitanya Sagar).

36min 47sec Ma Yoga Laxmi.

37min 04sec Ma Yoga Mukta.

37min 11sec Ma Yoga Hansa.

37min 36sec Sw Prem Devesh (maybe).

38min 18sec Ma Yoga Sudha.

39min 14sec Ma Yoga Sudha.

39min 25sec Sw Anand Prageet hugging Ma Yoga Sudha.

39min 35sec Dadaji (Osho’s father) dancing for Osho.

39min 41sec Dadaji (Osho’s father).

39min 55sec Ma Prem Sujato maybe.

40min 31sec Prem Prem Arup (aka Ma Prem Garimo).

40min 39sec Sw Anand Prageet.

42min 15sec.

42min 55sec Ma Anand Rupa (Anand not sure).

42min 55sec Ma Anand Rupa (Anand not sure).

43min 34sec Ma Prem Nirvano , Ma Yoga Laxmi.

44min 26sec Ma Renuka (right, with headscarf).

44min 50sec Sw Anand Maitreya (middle, with glasses).

44min 57sec Sw Krishna (right, head of ashram guards) .

45min 38sec.

46min 09sec Ma Satya Bharti (middle).

46min 18sec Ma Yoga Nirvano.

46min 21sec.

46min 24sec.

46min 35sec Ma Ananda Vandana (right).

46min 53sec.

47min 33sec Robert Hillmann aka Sw Prem Samvado.