We go along idolising Indian Godmen because they make us see a path that we feel we're too inept to see on our own, and so we follow them blindly. If you're miffed at the fact that I keep saying 'we', let me remind you that a larger chunk of the population likes to believe in men and women who take an alternate recourse to 'discover God', bargaining a better life and worldly peace in return for their followers.

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I was once taken to 'Guruji's' shrine and my friend, who is still a staunch believer, asked me to look into his eyes while looking at his picture and get his blessings. She said I may see a visual of him, which means my prayers are answered and I am blessed with his indelible light. I didn't see him, of course, but I did see thousands of devotees staring away at his picture, some claiming they did see him floating about. I am not trying to disregard him or his teachings but this whole set-up seemed so overpowered with Guruji's teachings, that people wanted to believe that they can still see him, even though he passed away a few years ago.

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These beliefs created by these Godmen work like nascent organisations, growing organically because people desperately need something to believe in and because their minds are so fresh for moulding, they fall prey to easy benevolent teachings of a self-proclaimed hand of God.

Bapuji, aka Asaram Bapu, a self-styled Godman was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl, who was studying at his Ashram in MP. But what's shocking is that his devotees refuse to believe that he committed a crime of such grave intensity. For the longest time, his bhakts thought that Bapu was wrongly convicted but more such cases started coming into the limelight.

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Now, a biopic based on Ushinor Majumdar's novel 'God of Sin: The Cult, Clout and Downfall of Asaram Bapu' is in the making and it's mostly going to be about Bapu's journey on becoming a cult leader, to his downfall and rape convictions. The film will be produced by Sunil Bohra, who has worked on 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'Tanu Weds Manu' among other projects.

“I read the book and was taken in by lawyer PC Solanki who fought the case for the victims against Asaram Bapu for free. The two lady police officers — one from Jodhpur and the other from Surat — are inspiring, too. In my eyes, they are the real heroes. We will focus on these people and the rest will be based on facts. I bought the rights of the book last month. I have started meeting writers and shall lock the team soon. I want the movie to have an international appeal. The cast will be decided once the script is ready.” Majumdar disclosed to TOI.

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We feel more books and movies should be released about Godmen and their falsehoods that they share with the world and make it temporarily or even permanently blind. There are a few movies Bollywood and independent cinemas that have been made in order to educate people on what blind faith really means and what it does to someone in the longer run.

Here are 5 prominent movies based on false faith and Godmen that you should definitely watch to form a perspective:

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This Netflix documentary throws light on the controversial Indian Guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela. The movie highlights the biggest case of bio-terrorism that took place in the world which originated from Oregon, where Osho had set up his practice. The movie also talks about Ma Sheela, who was the mastermind behind the attack, while propagating lessons of faith to the world. It's quite an eye-opener, to be honest.

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Umesh Shukla's hilarious take on Godmen and their practices in the country is a must-watch. It stars Mithun Chakraborty and Paresh Rawal, who plays a middle-class atheist, who file a case against the Almighty when he loses his shop to an earthquake. You'll see the satire this movie is built on clearly.

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I am only putting this out here for you to see how a self-proclaimed Godman, who's been charged for rape, has made an ostentatious movie that defies the norm of movie-making and culture. If nothing else, you'll see the contradictions of what he says in his movie as opposed to what he actually is in real life! The movie is based on his life and his quest to eradicate drugs and gender-related issues. It's propaganda mostly, although you can watch it for some laughs if nothing else.

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Aamir Khan plays an alien who questions the origin of faith, God, religion and Godmen. The movie will make you realise the importance of not being swayed easily by Godmen or anyone else!

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This film didn't do too well but it surely has an important message to deliver. It talks about false faith and wrong beliefs in society instilled by Godmen and their followers. The idea was to detach people from blind faith and make them see otherwise. It's a must-watch for some clear-cut perspective for sure.

The idea behind watching these movies is to not completely turn away from your faith and other beliefs. It's to make people realise that Godmen like Asaram Bapu exist as well and you just need to be careful and be open to perspective and viewpoints that can help make an objective decision for you.