Swamiji

Swamiji is a 2012 laser documentary directed and produced by Manick Sorcar. Based on the life story of Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), it is the first laser documentary made on an individual and the first full-length laser documentary ever to be shown in a performing arts center.

The documentary was produced on a budget of $125,000, utilizing eight color lasers, LED lights, smoke and haze machines, video projectors, a surround sound system, donated voice talent, song, animation modeling, and animation drawn by Manick Sorcar. The laser show was preceded by a Sanskrit prayer to the Holy Trio (Paramhansa Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda), and ‘Vandana’, based on a composition of Swami Vivekananda in Bengali. The prayer and Vandana were live performances in combination with laser animation and atmospheric effects. In total, combined with the 56 minute laser documentary, the show had a running time of 75 minutes.

Critics, Ramakrishna Missions and Vedanta Societies around the world praised the documentary for its accurate depiction of Swami Vivekananda’s life. The production was shown in dozens of cities in India and the United States.

The documentary begins with a slide show of an old pictorial book displaying black and white original scenes of 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago and Swamiji at the Parliament of the World's Religions delivering his famous speech starting with "Sisters and brothers of America". As the audience gives a standing ovation, a gust of wind flipped the pages to the beginning of the storybook, where pictures come to life with bright multi-colored laser animation and 3D effects. The documentary included several of the major stages in Swami Vivekananda’s life including his birth, youth, meeting with his spiritual leader Sri Ramakrishna, taking his monastic vows, traveling across India as a penniless, itinerant monk, traveling to the United States as the first Hindu monk to speak at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, introducing yoga, lecturing around the United States and other countries, founding the Ramakrishna Mission, and ultimately leaving behind a huge legacy.