Movie Title: Bhakshak
Release Date: February 9, 2024.
Bhakshak Movie Rating: 3.5/5
Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Sai Tamhankar, Surya Sharma, Chittaranjan Tripathy, Durgesh Kumar, Satyakam Anand, Tanisha Mehta.
Director: Pulkit.
Producers: Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma.
Music directors: Clinton Cerejo, Bianca Gomes, Anurag Saikiya, and Anuj Garg.
Cinematographer: Kumar Saurabh.
Editor: Zubin Sheikh.
Related Links: Trailer.
The Hindi film Bhakshak, based on the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home rape case, is now available on Netflix. Pulkit directs the film, which stars Bhumi Pednekar. Let’s see how the film goes.
Story:
Set in Patna, Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) and Bhaskar Sinha (Sanjay Mishra) run Koshish News. One day, an informant, Gupta (Durgesh Kumar), gives Vaishali a social audit report on a girls’ shelter home in Munnawwarpur. According to the report, the girls residing there are physically abused. Gupta requests that Vaishali look into this case because the government has not taken any action. Though Vaishali is initially reluctant, she eventually accepts the responsibility of exposing the truth. Bhakshak is all about how she does it.
Plus Points:
The filmmakers deserve recognition for bringing to light such heinous crimes in our country. The plight of the victims is effectively depicted in a flashback episode featuring Tanisha Mehta as a pivotal character. The opening sequence is heartbreaking and instantly captures our attention.
Bhumi Pednekar is a sincere and brilliant journalist. The director has neatly designed her character. Vaishali is someone who wants to stand on her own two feet, and she even takes on the task of discovering the truth despite the fact that her family may face legal consequences. Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, and Tanisha Mehta do well in their respective roles. The film examines the inconsistencies in the legal system.
Minus points:
The film concludes with a dialogue about how we’ve all forgotten to care for others in society, which is true. It also asks whether we are human or Bhakshak (predators). However, for the message to reach a larger audience, the film must have a compelling narrative, which Bhakshak lacks. There is no sense of urgency in the story, which limits the film’s potential.
The filmmakers attempted to present the movie in a realistic manner, but there were some logical errors in the investigation, and the detailing was poor. In the film, police are denied entry into the shelter house, and even Bhumi Pednekar is asked not to take photos because it is a private area. However, the social audit report clearly describes the horrors that occur inside the shelter home. How did the audit take place without outsiders going inside? Were the auditors threatened by Aditya Srivastava, the owner of that shelter home? These aspects are not displayed. The female lead also never tries to find out who wrote that report.
Technical aspects:
The songs are okay, but the background score is excellent. Kumar Saurabh’s cinematography is neat, but the editing is below par. The production values are fine. Credit to the producers for promoting such an important issue.
Director Pulkit’s narration isn’t particularly engaging, but the script has more potential. The realistic approach is acceptable, but more care should have been taken with the logical and detailing parts.
Verdict:
Overall, Bhakshak is a well-intentioned social drama, but logical errors and a lack of compelling narration diminish its impact. The incident depicted in the film is heartbreaking, and such events demand attention. Bhumi Pednekar is a dedicated small-time journalist who is well-supported by Sanjay Mishra. Films like these require a gripping screenplay from beginning to end, but Bhakshak is slow-paced and only occasionally holds our attention.
