I had never heard of Uppaluri Gopala (or "U.G.") Krishnamurti before seeing the new documentary "The Natural State," which just had its premiere at this month's 2026 Telluride Film Festival. U.G. was famous for being an "anti-guru" who, after a long search for enlightenment, decided that such a mission was misguided and even fatuous. Even so, he was sought out the rest of his...

The joyous and mournful documentary "The Gas Station Attendant" tells the story of an American woman's Indian-born father who escaped poverty as a young man to Texas in hopes of a better life but meeting with mixed results. It opens Friday, June 12 at Manhattan's DCTV Firehouse Cinema. Go here for showtimes. H. N. Shantha Murthy grew up in extreme poverty in India, often sleeping...