Over 15 years ago, Hollywood actor Julia Roberts had spoken about her immediate connection with spiritual guru Neem Karoli Baba after seeing his picture. Closer home, we’ve often seen actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli visiting the late spiritual guru’s ashram in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. What is it about Neem Karoli Baba that his principles have lived on through his disciples the world over, even decades after his demise in 1973? Director Sharad Singh Thakur hopes to answer that with his upcoming Hindi film, Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj, which chronicles the guru’s life and legacy. Marathi actor Subodh Bhave plays the titular role.

Thakur, who has also written the story and screenplay, told mid-day that he has planned it as a three-part story. “We have completed two parts, which will be released in succession. We plan to shoot the third part soon, which will [begin from] Baba’s demise in 1973 and depict how Kainchi Dham [one of Neem Karoli Baba’s ashrams] was developed,” he said.