In 1971 India made a movie about the white hippies invading their country

[LeftInTX]

&ab_channel=GanneshEttam

https://theprint.in/features/reel-take/hare-rama-hare-krishna-a-deeply-conservative-film-that-gave-bollywood-its-boldest-actor/154321/

India's business community was not too happy with hippies invading their country and like drug movies in the US, this movie had a moral message.

Angry with the world and herself, Janice (Zeenat Aman) seeks solace in the hippie cult and drug-filled bliss, where people wear T-shirts saying ‘Free Love. Janice originally was named Jasbir, but changed her name to Janice when she became a hippie.

The film unfolds through a maze of drugs, crime and religion.

Through the story (and songs), Anand asks the ‘wayward’ youth to not ruin the name of Ram as they sing Hare Rama Hare Krishna. He urges them to wake up and not run from life, towards drugs and other vices.

Although Zeenat and Anand portray brother and sister, he was 30 years older than her in real life.

[whathehell]

1. The only white people to "invade" India were the Brits

and they'd been gone for some time BEFORE the hippie movement.

[LeftInTX]

2. Well, you know what I mean...It was another type of "British Invasion"...LOL

Even before the Beatles went to India, there were the "Hippie Trails" between Europe and India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie_trail

[Hekate]

3. If an American could scrape up the money, it was a popular destination for the spiritually minded

The Beatles traveled there — and they were definitely Brits — but many Americans went as well if they could, following The Beatles’ example.

I do remember the ‘60s and ‘70s: the music, the politics, and the social phenomena, including a broad fascination with Eastern spirituality. Gurus both real and bogus came to America, and some Americans went to India.

I am not at all surprised that Americans in general and hippies in particular stuck out and looked very peculiar to India’s people.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. The closest movie made at that time that addresses these circumstances

was The Guru.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guru_(1969_film)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064396/

BTW, it stars Michael York and Rita Tushingham (the latter playing Tanya Komarova in Dr. Zhivago).

[LeftInTX]

5. Guru is a Merchant-Ivory British production.

The initial goal of the company was "to make English-language films in India aimed at the international market" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Ivory_Productions

Haré Rama Haré Krishna was a movie made in Hindi for Indian audiences. (Bollywood)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067183/

There is a big difference in production styles. If I could compare Haré Rama Haré Krishna to a style in the US, it would be Roger Corman drive-in style. If Haré Rama Haré Krishna had a Hollywood movie counter-part, it would be a movie like Psych-Out.

I can't find a trailer for Haré Rama Haré Krishna, but here is the entire movie:

&ab_channel=JhakaasMoviez

It's a film about the evils of hippies who gravitated towards the Krishnas mostly so they could do drugs, bum money, steal and do nothing with their lives

Trailer for Psych-Out

Full Movie:

&ab_channel=philippocock


Guru trailer:

&ab_channel=MovieclipsClassicTrailers