'Decoding Deepak': Son figures out his dad

Decoding Deepak

Documentary. Directed by Gotham Chopra. (Not rated. 83 minutes. )

The title suggests an exposé, but "Decoding Deepak" isn't a skewering of the mega-popular alternative-medicine guru Deepak Chopra. Directed by his son, Gotham, the documentary doesn't whitewash its subject - for one thing, we get a clear sense that the elder Chopra's lifestyle is at odds with his philosophy - but by the end it's clear that the filmmaker sees many good qualities in his father.

Gotham, who also narrates the movie, clearly views it as an opportunity to get to know the man better. It's not that the director was neglected as a child, but his dad has been a one-man self-help industry, the globe-trotting author of scores of books and articles (including columns for SFGate), a relentless public speaker and debater, a frequent media figure (owing at least part of his fame to Oprah), a friend and spiritual adviser of Michael Jackson and other celebrities - in short, a New Age dynamo.

The filmmaker spent a year tagging along with Deepak, and found a man who seems at loose ends when he isn't busy, which isn't often. Among events depicted are Deepak's ordination as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, which gives Gotham a chance to poke mild if obvious fun at this dad's taste for the good life - he loves fancy eyeglasses and top-notch hotels, and has a hard time turning off his BlackBerry.

As their travels continue, to New York, rural India, a cushy retreat in Sedona, Ariz., and many other locations, it becomes obvious that there's no intention here of tearing away the facade from the "real" Deepak, because the elder Chopra isn't trying to hide anything. Nor is the film all that interested in promoting Deepak's ideas - no one can beat the old man at that.

Yes, Deepak enjoys his money and desperately needs to be "relevant" (Gotham's word) to his followers, but he comes across as not unaware of shortcomings and of time's passing (he'll soon be 66). You get the feeling that Gotham has learned about his father, and has learned to be fond of him, and this learning, considered as wisdom, may hold its own with anything in Deepak's books.

Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: waddiego@sfchronicle.com