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Film Review

The Doctor from India
(2018 film)

There are only a handful of films with the power to enhance or change your life. To me, 'The Doctor from India' is one of these films - having inspired me to travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2019 to learn Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis directly from Dr Vasant Lad, whose life and work this film biographs.

This beautifully meditative film gives an intimate glimpse into the lifelong work of a remarkably skilled and dedicated doctor in his practice of Ayurvedic medicine, from his humble beginnings in India, to his becoming the biggest voice of Ayurveda in the West.

The film showcases Dr Lad's remarkable dedication to developing and teaching Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis – a lost art that is not being taught in the Ayurvedic universities in India.

Interesting interviews with other renowned international figures in Ayurveda - from Deepak Chopra and Dr David Frawley, to Lad’s own students Dr Robert Svoboda and Dr Claudia Welch - add deeper insight into his story.

A particularly touching part in the film is seeing his joyful relationship with his wife, whom, as a young doctor, he married in secret (arranged marriages still being largely the norm in India, with a 'love' marriage being frowned upon).

It's fascinating to see with what simplicity and dedication he lives – although he travels the world to teach Ayurveda, his own car only has minimal miles on the clock as he only ever drives from his home to his Ayurvedic teaching centre and back.

This is a deeply moving film of an extremely dedicated, humble and gentle doctor who has touched the heart of thousands and still continues to do so today. I've been fortunate enough, in addition to seeing him in New Mexico, to learn from him for a few days each year when he travels to London to teach. His Ayurvedic books and textbooks are highly detailed and accessible, making them essential reading in Western courses on Ayurveda.