Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all is the life story of Prabhupada, the 70-year-old holy man from India who, in the turbulent 1960s, arrives in New York City alone without support or money. 

Suddenly thrust into the raging counterculture scene, Prabhupada speaks of the world’s real need – a revolution in consciousness which could dramatically change the tumultuous social and political landscape. This universal message resonates with more and more people, including musician George Harrison whose hit song “My Sweet Lord” features the Hare Krishna chant. From there, Prabhupada’s movement explodes and his followers – now known as the Hare Krishnas – become a familiar sight, chanting and dancing in the streets of major cities throughout the world.

Using never-before-seen archival verite, Prabhupada’s own recorded words, and interviews with scholars and his early followers, the film takes the audience behind-the-scenes of a cultural movement transplanted to the artistic and intellectual scene of New York’s Bowery, the hippie mecca of Haight Ashbury, and the Beatle mania of London, to meet the Swami who started it all.