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Podcasts The Frame
The Inside Story Of 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator'
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Episode 20376
Listen • 25:49
The Inside Story Of 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator'

Bikram Choudhury made hot yoga an international phenomenon, but he allegedly assaulted a number of female students along the way, as told in a new documentary; should films by black artists be immune from criticism by black writers?; Beverly Hills High School had a pivotal role in "It's a Wonderful Life."
Yoga master Bikram Choudhury is the subject of the new Netflix documentary, "Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator."
Yoga master Bikram Choudhury is the subject of the new Netflix documentary, "Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator."
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Netflix
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On today's show:

The Most Dangerous Pose

(Starts at 8:45)

In the 1970s, Bikram yoga began rising in popularity in the U.S. and the man selling the method as his own invention — Bikram Choudhury — rose to fame and made millions training others to teach his yoga method. Then, in 2013, women began coming forward to say Choudhury had sexually assaulted them — allegations that he denies. Six rape and sexual assault cases have been filed against Choudhury, and although he’s a fugitive from the U.S., he continues to teach and profit from his method in other countries. That story is the subject of the new Netflix documentary, "Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator." Director Eva Orner talks with John Horn about how this story was a precursor to the Me Too movement.

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

Black Art Vs. Black Criticism

(Starts at :45)

John talks with African American journalists Tre’vell Anderson (Out Magazine) and Cassie da Costa (The Daily Beast) about whether films by black artists should be immune from criticism by black writers. As Da Costa wrote about "Queen & Slim": "The film, unfortunately, rings frustratingly false, from the stilted dialogue to the gorgeously retro threads, which are wedded with an undulating wave of seriousness that tells us how much these black lives are in threat. Don’t be fooled by the film’s strong ideas — they come from the Black Lives Matter and prison abolition movements that have fought for the rights not only of those deemed innocent, but those who are, like all of us, human. But Lena Waithe’s script, rather than creating a language for these ideas that is born out of life, follows mainstream movie convention, with characterization that relies on shorthand rather than imagination to get the talking points across."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Th84oGDno

A Swimming Pool That's Part Of Film History

(Starts at 19:45)

It’s the holidays, which means many of you will probably at some point watch "It’s a Wonderful Life." The 1946 Jimmy Stewart classic was mostly shot on the RKO Radio Pictures lot in Culver City,  but one very memorable scene took place at a one-of-a-kind high school gym in Beverly Hills. The Frame contributor Tim Greiving paid a visit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJfZaT8ncYk