‘Searching for Sheela’ review: A problematic take on Ma Anand Sheela’s complex legacy
The Hindu
The new Netflix documentary presents the controversial Sheela Birnstiel as an unlikely feminist icon and fiery go-getter who merely fell prey to an obnoxious scandal
“When I was the empress, the kingdom was rosy,” quips Sheela Birnstiel, while reminiscing on camera her glory days as Ma Anand Sheela, an influential aide to the spiritual leader Osho, and a titular figure in the latter’s multi-million dollar empire. The self-proclaimed imperatrix was once convicted for infecting salad bars in Oregon’s Wasco County with salmonella to influence a local election. Even her own mentor accused her of arson, wire-tapping and attempted murder among other heinous crimes. . And yet, in Netflix’s latest documentary titled Searching for Sheela, she is presented as an unlikely feminist icon, a fiery go-getter who merely fell prey to an obnoxious scandal.
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