Is “The Love Guru” Bigoted?

Mike Myers’ upcoming movie, “The Love Guru” has sparked protests from Hindu groups even before its scheduled opening on June 20.

Hindus have urged Viacom and its brand Paramount Pictures to post a study-guide about Hinduism and guru tradition on their websites and place it in movie theaters worldwide to undo the damage done by their upcoming Hollywood movie “The Love Guru.”

But spiritual leader Deepak Chopra, a friend of Myers’ who reviewed the script before it was filmed and appears briefly onscreen, says that it is not insulting. The Meyers character espouses a made-up philosophy that satirizes people like Chopra.

“He said, ‘Listen, it’s kind of a satire. It’s a lampoon,'” Chopra said, recalling Myers’ words. “He said on the surface it’s like that, but on a deeper level, it’s a tribute.”

Myers “has the most profound understanding of Eastern wisdom, traditions and spirituality,” Chopra said. “In the end, the movie is about self-esteem and love. It is about, in fact, love being the ultimate truth. He goes about it in a very silly, humorous way, but that’s his style.”

Like Adam Sandler’s “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” movie opening this week, “The Love Guru” uses humor to explore topics that are too sensitive to explore directly. But one person’s gentle satire is another’s insult.