In India, faith trade is the most lucrative of the lot. Global Baba has the smarts but never shows us anything we haven't seen before. The promising Abhimanyu Singh (of Gulaal fame) is a politico's top henchman who survives a police encounter. The safest bet for him is to turn into a Godman. He wipes out his past and hides his misdeeds behind the garb of his saintly cloak. This is such a dependable plot that never loses context. Religion in India has always been a sensitive subject. Despite being a religiously diverse country, we never want to seek logic in our faith. In a wonderful scene, director Manoj Tewari explains how the masses are conditioned to buy into blind faith over logic. When Sanjay Mishra, who pays a local hero in the film, suggests yoga to an obese man, he doesn't take it kindly. Global Baba manages to 'cure' him by suggesting that he walks to a hill-top while chanting some magical words. The humour in that scene pinches you back to reality.
But the director's sharp thinking is limited to the film's plotting. It eventually becomes an overwrought tale that hardly has anything novel to offer. The characters are all uni-dimensional and clichéd - The Godman is sheer evil, the politicians are all scheming and corrupt, the cop is just rendered helpless, the journalist ends up being a victim and the masses, gullible.
The issues addressed are equally run-of-the-mill. Global Baba's ashram is on a land he has snatched away illegally from the advises. Every character is predictable and so is the film's story. Only in parts, the movie manages to hold your attention.
Global Baba is subversive but doesn't have an inventive streak. It points out problems without delving deeper or providing a solution. This one is just old wine in an old bottle!
