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Hollywood movie on Jesus in India
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The Guardian, London - November 19 2007
Film based on the Aquarian Gospel to cover years left out of New Testament
Randeep Ramesh from New Delhi writes in the Guardian about Hollywood's plans to make a film showing Jesus in India during his 'missing youth'.
Full Article Here
The article showing on the left appeared in the Guardian on Monday 17th November 2007.
The article details of plans for a Hollywood movie to be released in 2009 showing the young Jesus travelling to India. |
Key Quotes
Director Drew Heriot |
"The Bible devotes just seven words to the most formative years of Yeshua's life saying: 'The boy grew in wisdom and stature'. The [film] will follow Christ's journey to the east where he encounters other traditions, and discovers the principles that are the bedrock of all the world's great religions,"
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William Sees Keenan |
"We are looking at new themes. In our story Jesus was loyal to the untouchables [in India] and he defended them with his life by saying that everyone could read the Vedas [Hindu holy books],"
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"I have seen the scrolls which show Buddhist monks talking about Jesus's visits. There are also coins from that period which show Yuzu or have the legend Issa on them, referring to Jesus from that period,"
Hassnain, who has written books on the legend of Jesus in India, points out that there was extensive traffic between the Mediterranean and India around the time of Jesus's life. The academic pointed out that in Srinagar a tomb of Issa is still venerated.
"It is the Catholic church which has closed its mind on the subject. Historians have not."
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Dr Fida Hassnain |
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"Hollywood filmmakers in search of a new audience rather than the truth".
Aware that religious passions are easily inflamed, after the Da Vinci Code film sparked protests among Indian Christians, its spokesman said that a movie about Jesus in India was plainly "fantasy and fiction".
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| Spokesman for the Catholic Church in India |
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"I have personally investigated many of these claims and they remain what they first seem: fiction,"
"I am sure it will make money but I do not think it will displace thousands of years of biblical thought."
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John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union |
Tomb of Jesus Website Comment
This film appears to still be in its infancy but it is encouraging to see film makers taking up this subject. It appears that the film will focus purely on Jesus' missing childhood and the idea that it was spent in India. Whilst this is a significant portion of the 'Jesus in India' theory it does not include the tomb in Kashmir.
The Guardian article did talk about the tomb in Kashmir and hopefully films such as this will bring people closer to the truth, or at least help point them in the direction of India when looking for the missing pieces in the Jesus story.
Any film dealing with the tomb in Kashmir would need to deal with other related controversies. These would include the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. It would need to question all these at the same time which perhaps the world is not yet ready for? If not 'the world' then at least Hollywood?
This Guardian article also shows the beginning of the debate about 'Jesus in India'. This piece shows the reactions from Christian leaders about the theory.
Related Links
Hollywood Report
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