For a comedian who was once highly regarded for his ability to constantly produce work that felt completely fresh and unique, this trailer came as a bit of a shock. The humour in the movie is identical to the fish-out-of-water surrealism of the Austin Powers films, with Myers playing an out-of-touch love guru rather than an out-of-touch spy. The endless mugging and silly physical gags that Myers trots out are identical to those found in his previous movies and the entire project has an undeniable air of familiarity (the impossible physical stretching, raised eyebrows, midget-related Freudian slips, and exaggerated musical sequences are all straight out of Austin powers). Verne Troyer—beloved as Mini-Me—even performs identical little-person gags that feel like outtakes from Austin Powers. While Myers always had a distinct comic voice that is instantly recognizable, this is the first time outside of a sequel that he has been so blatantly repetitive. There is a chance that the 2.5 minute trailer simply isn’t representative of the 90 min film, but this is unlikely.

Shortly after the trailer hit movie screens and the internet, another problem began to emerge. Indo-American leader Rajan Zed has launched a campaign denouncing the film for its racist portrayal of Indian culture. He’s leading a mass-protest that asks distribution companies worldwide to ban the film. He feels that this silly comedy presents an unrealistic and slightly racist version of a serious religious group that will damage the reputation of the sacred Guru-disciple relationship that has existed for centuries. The group has released an official statement demanding that the studio "Change the name of the movie, remove any form of denigration towards the Guru, and apologize to the international spiritual community." While it is highly unlikely that that Paramount will make any changes, these complaints are certainly valid. And beyond the degradation of a religion, the trailer also relies on Indian stereotypes that have been out of date for decades (pet elephants, magic carpets, exaggerated accents, etc.). The controversy may be drawing attention to the production, but it certainly isn’t positive.