The human being is a marvel of creation, the depths of which remain mostly unexplored in the present world. In the never ending run to pursue more and more happiness one often gets disenchanted and somewhere the urge to explore the deeper dimensions of life rises. It is then that people start to explore faith, religion, spirituality and the spiritual gurus come in to provide a sense of direction. Many in the west look towards the east which, with its thousands of years of rich traditions has the necessary knowledge to guide us towards the spiritual dimensions of life. Wild Wild Country offers a view into a particular chapter in the last phases of the life of Osho or Acharya Rajneesh, an Indian guru of the last century, who was unconventional in many of his approaches. The series presents to the viewer the rather weird series of events taking place around the Guru, in Wasco County of the Oregan state in America in the 1980s. It allows the viewers to form their own judgement on frailties of human behavior as various scenarios from multiple viewpoints are skillfully presented before us.

The life of the residents of Antelope, the quiet rural city in Oregon was turned upside down as the Rajneesh followers started coming into their city, building up a huge ranch to set up the city of Rajneeshpuram. The human tendency to be unable to accept something different from their own social setup results in a series of escalating incidents creating extreme friction between the original habitats and newcomers. These result in various incidents like political maneuvering, bombing, mass poisoning and murder attempts of senior Government officials. The final outcome of the chain of events was Osho’s exit from the United States in 1985. The director duo, Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass uses a wealth of archival footage and the original recordings of the Rajneesh followers, mixing them with the present day interviews of the key players in the drama, putting together an exciting narrative in front of the viewers. The editing is precise and the hour long episodes end at the right moments to make one look forward for the next one. The choice of music for the series is definitely worth mentioning, with the songs seamlessly blending into the narrative and livening it up.

The director duo brings out some fascinating characters in the forefront. The most important player in the whole series and the person with the most influence on the chain of events was Ma Anand Sheela, the petite and high spirited secretary of Osho and the actual leader of the community. As the series progresses it is evident that it is she who is the real gunslinger in this wild country. Behind the bright smile of Sheela hid a shrewd and bold mind of a leader who would go to any extent to protect her own master and her group. From leading the team in the construction of the city to acquiring arms and ammunition for self defense and further to murder conspiracies; with her talents, Sheela could very well have been a firebrand revolutionary instead of a sannyasin. As the camera focuses on the present day Sheela, she seems to have lost none of her panache with age. The other important members of the group that take part in the series are Jane Stork, also called Ma Shanti B, a close associate of Sheela and Philip Toelkes, also called Swami Prem Niren, who was the chief legal counsel of Osho. Beyond them there are many residents of Antelope and key players of the Government of United States involved in the incidents, who offer their own viewpoints candidly.

Wild Wild Country does not answer any questions but it raises many and the viewers have to find their own answers. The bigotry of the Antelope residents come in the forefront as they consider the non Christian aliens coming into their world almost as invaders. It is ironical that this same theme came into play centuries back as their own ancestors colonized North America by getting rid of its original native population. With various parts the world being plagued by similar problems related to conflict of cultures and mindsets, these past incidents does appear more relevant in the present context .The operational methods of the United States Government as it went all out to strike down Osho also raises multiple questions and it is perfectly summed up by Swami Niren as he says to Osho ,”.. if the United States Government is prepared to do all of this to get you and to get this community, they’re not going to stop. They will keep coming after you until they get you.”

The other human flaws like greed, jealousy and anger gets highlighted in the series multiple times to show that building a city from scratch and a community filled with “happiness” cannot rid the human being from mental bondage and insecurities. The series does not go into the past of Osho exploring his rise as a spiritual leader and focuses mainly on the other key players of the drama but it definitely puts to doubt on his credibility as an enlightened master. Was the man who loved diamond studded watches and owned a fleet of Rolls Royce cars, a fraud who took advantage of rich westerners by filling their minds with utopian dreams? How can a man or woman cast a strong enough influence or spell on another to make him or her lose the sense of judgement and balance? How could people on the spiritual path and supposedly trying to establish new world rooted in happiness, conspire to commit arson and murder? Was the good intention to turn a new chapter in human history really there or was it just a sham? These are questions that the series raise and allows the viewers to look for their own answers.

The viewers are also free to make their own judgements about the nature and motives of the various characters and it is best to approach the episodes with an open mind. The Sanskrit term sannyasin is a much venerated term in India in the context of spirituality and has a lot of significance. Draping it up with colorful modern age definitions can make it appealing to masses but does not bring one any closer to self knowledge. Sannyasins armed with AK 47 rifles are perhaps a complete mockery of the term. Still, the series does not fail to point out that the followers of Osho still abound and his books have remained popular even decades after his death.

Wild Wild Country has many deep rooted themes but it makes a primary statement about human beings looking for a larger identity, getting attached to it and going to any lengths to defend and preserve it. It focuses on an important chapter in human history which can help us look into our own limitations rather than making judgements. The series builds on a well chosen set of events where real life drama surpasses the best of fiction. The surprises that it offers to the viewer are mostly through unpredictable human behavior and not from other sources or incidents. This well directed six episode documentary is available in Netflix and for anyone who is interested in real life drama filled with twists and turns, this is highly recommended.

 

By Suvajit Banerjee

 

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