"Awake gave me an opportunity to live the life of Yogananda for those few hours, which was extremely gratifying" says Anupam Kher

"Awake gave me an opportunity to live the life of Yogananda for those few hours, which was extremely gratifying" says  Anupam Kher who lent his voice to the award winning biographical docu, Awake: The Life of Yogananda

~Written and directed by Academy Award Nominated director Paola Di Florio and Lisa Leeman,the film is slated for Pan-India on June 17, ahead of International Yoga Day~

Mumbai, June 6, 2016: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher lent his voice to the Award Winning documentary Awake: The Life of Yogananda, an unconventional biography on the life of the eminent Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda.

Written and directed by Academy Award Nominated director Paola Di Florio (Home of the Brave) and Lisa Leeman (One Lucky Elephant),the film will hit theatres across India on June 17.

The critically acclaimed film tells the tale of an East Indian mystic who brought yoga to the west in the 1920s.

Thrilled to have the India release of the film after successful global releases, Anupam Kher shares his experience,  "Some movies we do to entertain ourselves and some we do to entertain others, some movies we do for money and some for fame and some for artistic satisfaction but Awake is a film that I have done as a catharsis for myself, to understand the theory of the Guru is fantastic. The whole experience was amazing to go through the journey with my directors and producers and to see their passion on how they worked on it. Even though it was a just a dubbing but it gave me a opportunity to live the life of a man for those few hours and because my director wanted it to be straight from the heart not have any artistic craftsmanship, etc it was much more gratifying. It has been a great experience for me."

The film features interviews of George Harrison, lead guitarist of The Beatles, the world-renowned Indian musician, late Ravi Shankar, Deepak Chopra, holistic health pioneer, Krishna Das, famous Kirtan musician and many others.

The film has won many awards and accolades at the festivals such as Audience Award at Illuminate Film Festival, Spirit in Cinema Award at Maui Film Festival, Conscious Life Award at Conscious Life Expo Film Festival and was screened at prestigious fests like Seattle International film Festival, Tel Aviv Spirit Film Festival, Heart International Women's Film Festival, etc and has successfully released in countries like U.S, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Greece, Italy, France, and Japan.

Synopsis of the film

AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda is an unconventional biography about an Indian Swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920s. This feature documentary explores the life and teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, who authored the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and is a go-to book for seekers, philosophers and yoga enthusiasts today. It was the only book that Steve Jobs had on his iPad, and he arranged to give away 800 copies of it to the dignitaries who attended his memorial service. It was also a point of entry into Eastern mysticism for George Harrison, Russell Simmons and countless yogis. By personalizing his own quest for enlightenment and sharing his struggles along the path, Yogananda made ancient teachings accessible to a modern audience, attracting many followers and ultimately helping millions of seekers today to turn their attention inwards, bucking the temptations of the material world in pursuit of self-realization.

About Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952) is considered one of the preeminent spiritual figures of modern times. Author of the best-selling spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, this beloved world teacher came to America in 1920 from his native India, and was the first great master of yoga to live and teach in the West for an extended period (more than 30 years). Widely recognized as the Father of Yoga in the West, he founded Self-Realization Fellowship (1920) and Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (1917), which continues to carry on his spiritual legacy worldwide today under the leadership of Sri Mrinalini Mata, one of his closest disciples.

Trailer link - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyLkg3uDe1c