SC-S28/W2-Movie Highlights | Based on True Events- Chutir Ghonta (1980)

Absolutely. The film constantly pushed me to think about the real incident behind it. I kept wondering how something so heartbreaking could happen in our country. Even after the movie ended, so many questions stayed with me,

How did this event influence the education system at that time?
Why were the safety measures so weak?
How did society react, and what actions did the government take afterward?

I also imagined how it would feel if such a tragedy happened to someone I know or within my own family. In the 80s and 90s, primary schools in villages were not overcrowded. Something like this could easily happen if people weren’t careful.

I wondered how the child’s family dealt with the loss, how the teachers reacted, and whether any real changes took place afterward. The more the movie progressed, the heavier and more thoughtful I felt.

The thought that a “holiday bell,” something meant to bring joy to a child’s heart, ended up becoming the cause of a child’s final goodbye, this alone is enough to break anyone’s heart.

Maybe this is the true strength of a powerful film: it forces the audience to think deeply.

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Which scene or moment felt the most powerful or emotional?

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There were many emotional and powerful moments, so choosing only one is almost impossible.

The scenes that moved me the most were the ones showing the little boy trapped alone inside the empty school building. When he realizes the doors are locked, and he has no way to reach anyone, the panic in his eyes felt painfully real. Hunger, fear, and confusion slowly push him into desperation.

As daylight fades and darkness fills the rooms, his fear grows stronger. He tries to stay calm, sometimes he imagines something funny and smiles for a second, then suddenly breaks into tears. But at the end of the day, he was just a child trying to survive.

Another heartbreaking moment was the grief of his parents. A mother’s cry after losing her child isn’t just part of a film, it reflects the pain of real life. Watching that scene made me realize how easily such an incident could happen if people become careless.

Khokon's writing on the wall. Screenshot from the movie

One of the most unforgettable elements of the film was Khokon’s writing on the bathroom wall:

"I ate paper, I ate pages from my book, I even ate money… but money doesn’t fill the stomach."

Those words alone were enough to make every viewer emotional.

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What lessons did I learn from this true story?

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This film is not only sad, it is a powerful reminder filled with important lessons.

• Children deserve a safe environment. They cannot protect themselves, so adults must ensure their safety at all times.

• Schools need proper rules, monitoring, and security systems. Without strong structures and protocols, tragedies like Khokon’s can happen. Poor infrastructure and weak safety measures can cost lives.

• Society must stay aware. If people remain careless, the same mistakes repeat again and again.

• Negligence is never small. One minor mistake by an adult can destroy an entire family.

• Responsibility matters, no matter how big or small the role is. Whether it’s a teacher, headmaster, or guard, every duty must be taken seriously.

• The failure to search for a missing child inside the school itself was a major act of negligence. If a student goes missing, the school should be the first place to check thoroughly.

• Gatekeepers or guards must check every room, including storerooms and bathrooms, before closing the school. And if they fail to do so, there should be proper accountability.

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How did the movie make me feel about the people or the time period it represented?

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The film made me realize how the people of that time lived between strict traditions and a lack of awareness. There was discipline, but sometimes humanity was missing. Many followed rules, but responsibility was often loosely handled, especially the school guard in the story.

The film made me to feel, how a single mistake can shake an entire society. When people realized that a child died because of pure negligence, everyone stood together demanding justice. It also reminded me that although times have changed, irresponsibility still exists around us.

The teacher was more wrong than the gatekeeper, because the gatekeeper had a dream that Khokon was imprisoned in the school. The gatekeeper or the office worker loved Khokon very much. And after having this dream, he went to the teacher for the key to the school. So that he could open the gate with the key and find Khokon from there. Instead of giving him the key, the teacher told him that it was an illusion of the mind and told the gatekeeper to go home.

Main character Khokon. Screenshot from the movie

Khokon, despite being a child, showed a strong will to survive. But the fact that a boy remained trapped in a school for 11 days without anyone checking is extremely painful. School reopened only after Eid holidays, and then they discovered his body. That thought alone is deeply disturbing.

Even the guard’s shock, regret, and madness after seeing Khokon’s body felt heartbreaking. He never wanted such a thing to happen, he had a good relationship with the boy. If he had heard even one scream or knock, he would have rescued him.

This story remains important today because similar mistakes still happen in different forms, uncovered manholes, ignored cracks in buildings, unsafe roads, and many other avoidable dangers.

So, the film reminds us to stay alert, stay responsible, and take every small sign seriously before it becomes a tragedy.

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Personal Thoughts

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This is a movie that is bound to touch the hearts of today's viewers as well. The film's producer was able to deeply feel the story of a schoolboy's survival after being trapped in the school's bathroom and writing it on the wall. Because of this, in the era of romantic movies based on heroes and heroines at that time, he dared to bring this true story to the screen. I found the performance of child artist Sumon in the movie incredibly beautiful. It is beyond imagination that a child artist would act so beautifully in the 80s. This has become a timeless movie in the history of Bangladesh.

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