Thank you, Bhola and Shambhu, for showing the reality
Bhola was a young village boy who spent almost all his time with his best friend, Shambhu. His intellect was shaped under the canopy of a giant old fig tree, where an orthodox priest provided informal education that was filled with local folklore and ancient mythology. For Bhola, these stories and spiritual allegories were not merely limited to stories but firmly served as the absolute truth and the center of the universe.
Everything changed when he started going to a formal school. There, he was introduced to science, which offered a completely different explanation, one that contrasted with his deeply rooted old beliefs. Bhola completely rejected these scientific facts and argued against them.
This clash between faith and scientific reasoning deeply disturbed him. His confusion gradually turned into anger and frustration. In the end, this mental struggle destroyed his childhood innocence, leading to a very sad and tragic ending.
This is the gist and characters from the movie “BHAGWAN BHAROSE (2023)”, which has bagged the Flame Award for Best Film at the 25th UK Asian Film Festival. The movie explores the tension between scientific reality and deeply ingrained conditioning.
Although the film does not reject faith or spirituality altogether, it instead criticizes blind faith that discourages questioning, rationality, and coexistence.
The uniqueness of Bhola’s & Shambhu’s character lies in the fact that they represent a section of society itself.
As soon as Bhola, along with Shambhu, gets into the formal school and starts their journey, one day, the District Education Officer (DEO) comes to the school for a visit and interacts with the students with some basic conversation and questions.
When the DEO asked, “Does anybody know what a solar eclipse is?”
Bhola (give a mythological answer): “There was a demon named Rahu-Ketu, when the ocean was churning out, a holy nectar came. The gods shared that nectar amongst themselves, so when the demon found out, he disguised himself as a god and sat among them. As soon as that demon drank the nectar, the sun god and the Moon god discovered the disguise, then Lord Vishnu beheaded the demon.”
DEO (raised his eyebrow and looked at the teachers present there): Is this what you teachers teach the children here? Who is the science Teacher? What do you teach students, Science or Comics books?
Again, asked another student to tell the answer.
Student: In the sky, the Moon revolves around the Earth, and the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Bhola: (Interrupts directly, looking at the teacher) ” He is wrong, sir! How can the Earth revolve around the Sun? The Earth rests on the Snake’s lord (Sheshnag) head!
Bhola was not praised or rewarded, but scolded by his teacher for his answer.
Without a shadow of doubt, his answers were the outcome of his beliefs, which are widely accepted in his immediate ecosystem; he experiences a false “feeling of knowing”. He proudly accepted these unverified manufactured narratives as an absolute foundational truth.
His ‘misconception of knowing’ highlights the ‘Knowledge Illusion’ ( Philip Fernbach and Steven A. Sloman), where an individual thinks he/she has complete knowledge or know a lot, but individual knows very little.
Also shows ‘social ignorance’.
In reality, too, in the highly digital world, where a plethora of information is easily available on digital devices, distinguishing authentic information from spurious information becomes burdensome. When users see and consume narratives on phones, aligning with their emotions, creating an “echo chamber” without verifying it, these narratives are then accepted as the ultimate truth, leaving little room for critical examination by strengthening the space for the manufactured narrative and consent. Unfortunately, an ‘Infodemic’ often prevails, resulting in unhealthy debates, polarization, and chaos.
Bhola’s rigid mindset resembles the above scenario, where individuals become emotionally attached without critically examining them.
For instance, fighting over YouTube comments or any other social media platform about who is right vs who is wrong in Israel vs Palestine, Russia – Ukraine war, capitalism vs. socialism, mob lynching as the result of inflammatory content over social media, and then justifying and non-justifying the act by presenting the villain as a hero and vice versa, whatnot.
These are the consequences of failing to verify the authenticity of flooded social media posts, where society pays the hefty price for it.
Undeniably, “Ignorance is the cause of every Misery.”
– By Aristotle
Later, after school, Bhola shares his bitter experience with his mother with frustration. Shambhu was also there.
Bhola: “I won’t go to school! The teachers have gone mad. Every single one of them. They were saying that Earth is hanging in space.”
Bhola: (throwing his sandals into the air): See, my sandals have fallen. They did not hang in the air.
Bhola: “Tell me, how can something stay hanging in the sky? Look, these sandals fell straight down, didn’t they hang in the sky or air?”)
Mother: But the teachers will not teach anything incorrect.
Bhola: Those teachers are stupid and don’t know anything.
Shambhu: “The officer (DEO) who came to our school was the craziest of all. He was saying that humans were born from monkeys.
Bhola: Look, can any sensible man say such a thing?
Bhola ridiculed his teacher by calling him mad for giving a science-based answer in contrast to his (Snake’s lord) Sheshang-linked answer, and outright rejected his teacher’s and DEO’s answers. This demonstrates that Bhola’s innocence, entangled with deep-rooted beliefs, was not allowing him to change his mind and to accept the alternative views and narratives. Instead, he further questioned who points out those views contradicting or challenging his personal views and beliefs.
This justifies the statement made by the Greek philosopher, Plato.
“Most People are not just comfortable in their ignorance, but they are also hostile to anyone who points it out.”
Later, his Ignorance compounded and replicated through his actions, his anger and intolerance pushed him to engage in a scuffle with one of his competitors who does not share the same belief system as Bhola. considering others as a ‘demon’ and believed who have non-homogeneous opinions and ethos are an ‘existential threat’.
Unfortunately, his character shows a section of society as well, where Bhola’s ignorance was incessantly molded by his immediate societal environment itself, cultivating manufactured beliefs and thoughts, thus driving actions too.
That’s what Bhola and Shambhu became victims of it.
Likewise, in contemporary geopolitical cacophony in West Asia, the outcome of where one nation views another nation as an ‘Existential threat. Nevertheless, not restricted to that, as history also offers a glimpse, where the Nazis viewed Jews as a threat, the USA versus USSR, the Hutu viewed the Tutsi (1994 Rwanda Genocide), and many others.
Thus, we are all well aware of the repercussions of these actions taken by those who are and were in power.
Moreover, as per the 2023 Annual Report of the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC), underlining that witch-hunting is still prominent in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Papua New Guinea. Furthermore, a horrific incident took place a couple of months before in one of India’s states, Bihar (2025).
This presents the disturbing picture of Ignorance, devoid of consciousness and Scientific Temper, also the domination of anger, ego, and hatred.
As mentioned above, Bhola’s situation was not entirely different from this reality. Indeed, it would not be amiss to say that society and Bhola are on the same boat.
The misery caused by ignorance, as Bhola suffered from, not only initiates the disaster, but also weakens the thread of Social Capital by perpetuating the vicious cycle of destruction, adversely impacting the intra-generational and inter-generational relationships, leaving no scope for love, harmony, peace, and let alone socio-development.
So, blaming Bhola and Shambhu is not enough; society is equally responsible.
They have shown a mirror to society.
Bhola not just realized what was right, but it was too late, as his beloved best friend, Shambhu, was no longer with him; he could not escape from the maze of Ignorance led to hatred.
Bhola used to criticize Bhokaru Baba, who plays an atheist character, who consistently questions the blind spirituality and belief system. Although villagers, including Bhola and Shambhu, looked down on him for it, he was also given the sobriquet of “Demon.”
Soon, Bhola realized Bhokaru Baba was right, “Demons live within us. One must forget the inner Demon.”
It offers a message to society by stressing ‘scientific temperament ‘, balancing with religion or personal sentiment. Additionally, advocate Tolerance with respect to diverse opinions, cultures, and faiths, and call for peaceful existence.
Bertrand Russell, in his work, Principles of Social Reconstruction (1916), in which he says,
“The Scientific temper is capable of regenerating mankind and providing an issue for all our trouble.”
The movie’s characters also emphasize ‘Education beyond Literacy’. Bhola and Shambhu attended the physical school, yet their minds remained imprisoned within unquestioned beliefs because genuine education stresses the courage of questioning rather than simply accepting and memorizing facts or rote learning.
There are many examples from Osama Bin Laden to Dr. Amit Kumar(Kidney Kingpin), to the Red Fort car bomb blast (2025), where individuals with an educational degree could not guarantee consciousness, empathy, and humanity.
In conclusion, it shows the element of the reality of rising polarization based on nation, religion, and ethnic identity, which only poses instability and destruction to the whole society. Despite its tragic ending, the movie ultimately offers a hopeful message. Bhola’s realization in the final stages of the story suggests that ignorance is not permanent if individuals develop self-awareness and the courage to question inherited prejudices. The film encourages society to embrace scientific temper without abandoning compassion, humanity, or cultural sensitivity. True progress emerges not from blind belief or blind rejection, but from balanced understanding and peaceful coexistence.
Again, sorry Bhola and Shambhu for your loss, and thank you!
By: Vinita Murmu
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