Millions of Catholics recently mourned the death of one pope and awaited the election of another, events that captured media attention for weeks. By contrast, the last Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that occurs every 12 years near the Indian city of Allahabad, got scant coverage in 2001 despite drawing 20 million to 70 million faithful.

Maurizio Benazzo and Nick Day, producer-directors of the documentary "Short Cut to Nirvana," describe the Kumbh Melas as the largest gatherings in human history. Essentially a spiritual festival, the mela is a 2,000-year-old phenomenon where countless seekers meet sadhus (ascetic holy men), yogis, gurus and other teachers.

Movie review

Showtimes and trailer

"Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela," a documentary with Pilot Baba, Bharti Urdvahu, Swami Krishnanand, Dyan Summers. Directed by Maurizio Benazzo and Nick Day. Not rated; suitable for mature audiences (includes some disturbing scenes of bodily mortification). 85 minutes. In English and Hindi, with English subtitles. Varsity, through Thursday. Benazzo and Day will host Q&A sessions at the evening performances tonight and tomorrow.

Pilgrims find, among the impossible crowds and cacophony, a wide variety of disciplines intended, as the Hindu religion seeks, to end the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation.

Benazzo and Day begin and end the film with satellite photos of the region, artificially coloring in the impressive sea of mela visitors. Yet, as the filmmakers try meaningfully to wrap their documentary around the massiveness and extraordinary diversity of the festival, they soon find it easier to meander and see what happens.

Wandering through row upon row of makeshift shelters, the directors meet a head-spinning array of self-declared masters of enlightenment. Some have disciples, some are engaged in strange mortifications of the body, some have left careers and family to pursue inner journeys. Among them is Pilot Baba, a former Indian air force flier someone declares a modern Buddha; Bharti Urdvahu, who has held up one arm for 20 years; a fakir who rests on a bed of nails and another who uses his penis to pull heavy objects. (A viewer might, occasionally, need to avert one's eyes and breathe deeply.)

The film is too scattershot to make a real point about the true nature of a spiritual path. The closest "Short Cut" comes to that is the observations of several Indian and Western explorers, particularly a likable young monk, Swami Krishnanand, and a keenly observant New York nurse, Dyan Summers. The two seem to be having a discreet romance (making for a fun subplot), but their desire to sort out useful teachings from stunts and hype gives "Short Cut" much-needed bearings.