Indian guru turns to Bollywood to spread his message to the masses

He claims to have 50 million followers and runs a spiritual empire that promotes vegetarianism and campaigns against drug addiction. But the self-styled God-man from the north Indian state of Haryana has another passion: Bollywood.

The leader of a quasi-religious sect – who calls himself Saint Dr. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan – has launched a film franchise in which he stars as a Messenger of God, or MSG for short, with divine powers to save the world.

Critics say the films serve as propaganda for his followers, which Insan doesn’t dispute. Speaking recently with reporters, the flamboyant spiritual guru said he was not trying to become a movie star but instead wanted to spread Indian culture along with his message of humanity to the masses.

“You will see in this film that our culture was so powerful that the technology that the aliens are bringing, it had already been used by our ancestors. That is why the scenes appear larger than life. We should also show India’s greatness,” said Insan, whose surname means “human” in Hindi and is adopted by all in his sect, which describes itself as a non-profit spiritual and welfare organisation.