Fab Four fans can attend the virtual September 9th premiere of the new Meeting The Beatles In India movie, directed by Paul Saltzman and narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Saltzman, who studied Transcendental Meditation (TM) under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi along with the Beatles in Rishikesh during their 1968 pilgrimage, has spent the better part of two decades chronicling their time together in the legendary Indian ashram.
The new doc features director David Lynch, George Harrison‘s first wife Pattie Boyd and her sister Jenny Boyd — who also was in India with the Beatles at the time — top Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, as well as Rikki Cooke — the real “Bungalow Bill.”
The premiere will also include a live Q&A across all time zones, and launches at 7:00 p.m. local time wherever you may be. Fans can book their pay-per-view seats’ at www.gathr.com
Saltzman, who published his book of photographs of the band at the ashram, titled The Beatles In India, has also been leading tours revisiting the “Fab Four’s” spiritual journey at the foothills of the Himalayas. Although not officially sanctioned by the Beatles’ Apple Corps., “the project will feature rarely-seen footage, including in-depth interviews with the band.”
The Beatles became indoctrinated into the Maharishi’s practice of TM during the summer of 1967 and traveled to Rishikesh, India to study under him in February 1968.
Although Ringo Starr left Rishikesh after only 10 days and Paul McCartney stayed for six weeks, John Lennon and George Harrison, along with their wives, stayed with the Maharishi for two months. Also studying with the Beatles were Donovan and the Beach Boys‘ Mike Love.
Lennon and the group left the Maharishi’s compound after hearing rumors of Maharishi’s supposed advances on some of the female TM practitioners, one of whom was allegedly actress Mia Farrow.
Up until his death in 1980, John Lennon said that he personally felt duped by the Maharishi who died in 2008 at age 91.
