Netflix’s Bhakshak Movie Review: Stunning performance of Bhumi Pednekar as a small town journalist

Language: Hindi

Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Adiya Srivastava, Sai Tamhankar, Surya Sharma

 Director: Pulkit

Very rarely do we get to see actors doing meaningful roles, Bhumi Pednekar is one such extraordinary craftsmen who chooses her roles with care. And that’s what makes her one of the best craftsmen in the entertainment industry.  Netflix’s Bhakshak has a strong social message.

Based on the true story of the Muzaffarpur women shelter case, the movie talks about a journalist called Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) who risks her life and exposes what happens behind closed doors of a shelter home. It is a story of the power of right kind of journalism which we fail to see in today’s armchair television journalists who are more into preaching scripted news. Bhakshak is a wakeup call for all because in this materialistic world we have forgotten to feel bad for others. We often think since such tragedy has not happened to us, so why bother. But  such tragedy can hit closer to home someday.

Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) in Bhakshak is a true face of the journalist who we must look up to. Not the suited-booted television anchors with hair and makeup in place that we get to see these days. True to her job, she goes on-ground every single day at the risk of her life to bring out real stories. Stories that not many  journalists are willing to talk about because they will probably not give them the required viewership since we live in an age of numbers, followers and TRPs.

Gender stories are issues which not many channels and publications are even willing to talk about. But this brave journalist, Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) risked her life and career to save these poor girls trapped in the shelter home who were sexually and physically abused by the owner and by those in-charge of the orphanage. Bhakshak is a thought provoking and harrowing tale of abuse which cannot be ignored.

The story starts when Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) gets a call from one of her reliable sources who gives her news of this shelter home in in Bihar’s Munnawarpur. Vaishali gets the call in the thick of a winter night, but true to her job she rides her scooter and reaches the spot where her source hands over some papers. She is not convinced. But the source insists that this piece of news on the shelter home needs to be reported as no  channels are willing to make their hands dirty especially when there are influential people involved in this heinous crime.

The best thing about the film is though it is engaging, intense and has a feminist tone to it yet it’s not a shouting match. Very carefully written the story touches upon the shocking Muzaffarpur shelter home case. The movie has sad visuals which will make you think about the dark world that we are living in and how lucky we are because we can keep our kids safe. There are people whose lives are filled with complete darkness. We too are in some way responsible for this state because when such harrowing crime happen, we remain tight lipped. Now it is our duty to bring a smile to their faces.

Sadly, this shelter home is run by a powerful newspaper owner who is well connected with influential people and that is how he commits these misdeeds.  Bhumi’s brilliant performance needs to be mentioned again and again. The way she conducts herself as a small town investigative journalist with her perfect Bihari diction makes us believe that she actually belongs to that place. In Netflix’s Bhakshak, I can very clearly say that her talent is used to the fullest.

Aditya Srivastava, as Bansi Sahu, the owner of the shelter home, represents the man whose arrogance and vulgarity is written all over his face. Aditya Srivastava has done a brilliant job in depicting a man whom we cannot stop hating.

On the whole Bhakshak is a compelling story and Pulkit has done a honest job in showing today’s television journalists what real journalism is all about. Here is a true journalist who isn’t nipped, tucked and booted but gets us the real news that we all want to consume and not white-washed narratives.

Rating: 4 out of 5

WATCH the trailer of Bhakshak here