Very proud of the film for its sheer honesty, simplicity and sensitive content. Vaishali (played by Bhumi Pednekar) is the face of a true and responsible journalist. The incidents are horrific. The ugly truth is we are still adjusting and breathing in the air of injustice and social evils. Candlelight marches, tweets and hashtags have become our only resource to show sympathy. Bhumi is spectacular in the most challenging role of her career so far. She has a natural finesse that makes her stand out. The film has touched just the tip of an iceberg. Life becomes more difficult when your protector becomes your predator. The beautiful film leaves you anguished with some unanswered questions and resentment. Bhakshak is a must-watch. (I liked/didn’t like Bhakshak because... February 11)

Saurav Gupta

The basic premise of Pulkit’s film Bhakshak might appear a tad too trite — an unwavering lady journalist, Vaishali Singh, fighting the political juggernauts almost single-handedly to champion a pressing societal issue. Vaishali, a strong-willed woman, forsakes her secure job at a popular TV channel. She sets up her channel Koshish with Bhaskar Sinha (Sanjay Mishra) as her cameraman-cum-confidante as her raison d’etre is to be true to her conscience. Vaishali is tipped off by her regular whistleblower and she sets off to expose the racket operating in a shelter home in Munawwarpur. The owner of the home, Bansi Sahu (Aditya Srivastava) holds sway over the entire area and uses his influence to sexually exploit and even murder the girls there. She busts the racket and sets the girls free. Bhumi Pednekar portrays the role of a journalist with conviction. She is torn between her familial obligations and her inner conscience goading her to protect innocent girls from the clutches of reckless people. Aditya Srivastava, too, delineates a negative character with aplomb and Sanjay Mishra portrays his character with great gusto. The conclusion of the film is rather unconventional. We are assured of a trial but not its outcome. The miscreants are big shots and there is no guarantee that proper justice will be delivered. Vaishali persistently appeals to her viewers so that they do not choose to stay mere spectators when someone is wronged. The message is clear — a greater involvement of the community as a whole, prioritising safety and responsibility, is necessary to prevent atrocities being committed by the predators or bhakshaks of our society.

Suparna Ghosh

The gut-wrenching beginning tells us how disturbing it will get as it progresses. The fact that it is inspired by the real-life Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case of 2018 makes it all the more heart-wrenching. It was difficult to accept that those who were responsible for taking care of those young girls became their predators. The lines “Dusron ke dard me dukhi hona bhul gaye hai ka? Kya ab bhi apni geenti insaanon mein karte hain ya aapne aap ko bhakshak maan chuke hai?” uttered by Bhumi towards the end of the film is hard-hitting, true and relatable. Society failed to care for the children. Thanks to Shah Rukh Khan and Netflix for backing such a film. I loved it.

Rishika Dutta

Bhakshak was a riveting and thought-provoking crime drama and one of the finest in recent times. Its compelling narrative and Bhumi Pednekar’s power-packed act made watching the film an edge-of-the-seat experience. Bhumi delivered one of her career-best performances. Apart from Bhumi, the person whose acting I also enjoyed was Sanjay Mishra, as Vaishali’s cameraperson Bhaskar Sinha. Although there were many disturbing moments to underline the severity and gruesomeness of the crime which is at the centre, I liked this Netflix film for highlighting the dangerous ills of society.

Sourish Misra