The docu-film “Searching For Sheela” will release digitally on April 22. The trailer of the film was premiered on Monday. The documentary is about Ma Anand Sheela, who was the aide of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, known as Osho.
She pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack. The docu-drama also sheds light on her new life post serving time for her alleged crimes.
“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,” she says.
Executive Producer Shakun Batra adds that the film is an observation and not an “investigative piece”.
“I have always been very intrigued by Sheela’s extraordinary life and through this documentary we’ve shadowed her as she traveled to India after almost 35 years. This is not an investigative piece, just an observation of a person who has had a questionable past and has always lived life on her own terms,” says Batra.
The filmmaker adds: “We trace her journey as she grapples with society’s expectations of an ex-convict and attempts to re-brand the public opinion of herself. ‘Searching for Sheela’ is a documentary that tries to get a closer look at one of the most sensationalised personalities in India.”
“Searching For Sheela” will stream on Netflix.