Bhakshak Review: This Netflix Release Is Dark, But Shows The Mirror To System, Media And Society
Netflix release Bhakshak directed by Pulkit and co-written by Jyotsana Nath and the director himself is the story about how the most corrupt and the criminals will destroy the lives of the vulnerable when the system fails or turns blind eye to the atrocities. Starring Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Sai Tamhankar, Aditya Srivastava, among others, Bhakshak shows the actual events from the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case from Bihar in which a shelter home operated by the non-governmental organization “Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti” headed by Brajesh Thakur, head of the state-funded NGO. Bhakshak chronicles the disturbing reports from the shelter home of sexual abuse, rape, and torture emerged from the facility.
In the actual case, medical examinations confirmed sexual abuse in 34 out of 42 girls residing there. Brajesh Thakur, who also managed several other NGOs and a Hindi newspaper named “Pratah Kamal”, was among those implicated. The political affiliations of Thakur, along with the involvement of government officials and perceived delays in the investigation exacerbated by CBI intervention, led to severe criticism of Nitish Kumar”s administration, both from opposition parties and the Supreme Court of India.
In the movie, Vaishali Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) along with her associate Baskar Sinha (Sanjay Mishra), both work with a local media house in Patna, follow a lead about the shelter home in fictional Munawarpur and finally reaches the core of it from inputs from a former cook from the facility run by Bansi Sahu (Aditya Srivastava).
The movie, in a way, is the answer to the most pertinent question about our times: What is the role of the artist when judiciary, legislature, executive and media fail a common citizen? Or can the media just remain spectators or drum beaters when an all-out attack on the fabric of the society happens from all corners?
Vaishali Singh delivers some answers to the second question. When an informer tells her that if she is not paying him well for a leak he will sell it to big media houses, she tells him: We may be small, but we are doing our bit. Vaishali Singh, a role which has been executed with utmost perfection by Bhumi Pednekar, and her struggles show the reality of Indian small-town media houses and their local reporters, at a time when they are single most important source of delivering the news from heartlands. They have their own day to day struggles as Vaishali Singh is facing in the movie, including the poignant question each local media house is being asked each day: What are you doing, you are not getting anywhere…
At one point Vaishali, as a journalist of integrity, even with a small setup, declares her freedom from the big media houses and their whims – “I am not going to do ‘yes sir, yes sir’” – this is what she says.
Bhumi Pednekar’s character is having another struggle in her personal life along with other struggles she is encountering as a small town journalist: the inner war within every Indian household over the role of a woman, which encompasses the fact that whether she works or not. Vaishali is seen fighting that as well.
Another important aspect the movie showcases is on how the system fails the common man when questions are raised about the basic rights and well-being. This was portrayed with those age old answers from the administration, like ‘it’ll take tame’, ‘need to check the formalities’, ‘this is how system works’ and ‘please wait’.
At the end, without much noise or chest thumbing, the movie is able to find justice to the tortured girls, but with a rider – their life is again handed over to the system, which was the reason for their wronged life in the first place.
Sanjay Mishra and Aditya Srivastava are perfect casting for a movie in which performance is key to make the real impact.
Bhakshak is a must watch for a citizen. Because, it tells the story about how decaying pillars of a so called democracy makes the lives of the vulnerable more miserable.
