movie reviews

Bhakshak Movie Review: Bhumi Pednekar Starrer Is The Reminder Of The Power The Right Kind Of Journalism Holds!

February 9, 2024

166 4 minutes read

Bhakshak Movie Review Rating:

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

Director: Pulkit

Bhakshak Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)

What’s Good: The realism in the story

What’s Bad: It’s not everyone’s cup of tea

Loo Break: You can pause and take one if it’s necessary. Otherwise, stay till the end

Watch or Not?: Yes, so that more such important stories with story women characters and voices are made in the future

Language: Hindi

Available On: Netflix

Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes

User Rating:

Bhakshak is a story about a small-time and independent journalist, Vaishali Singh (Bhumi), running the “Koshish News” channel and her attempt to uncover the abuse that happens to girls at a shelter home in Munnawarpur. However, the person running the shelter home is an influential man named Bansi Sahu. Bansi is also a “journalist” and has strong political connections.

It’s a tough fight for Vaishali and her colleague Baskar Sinha to uncover the truth, expose Bansi and bring the girls to justice.

Bhakshak Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)

Bhakshak Movie Review: Script Analysis

The Netflix film, written by Jyotsana Nath and Pulkit, starts on a disturbing note, and that’s just the hint of what horror unfolds further. When reporter Vaishali Singh from Patna comes into the picture, we see her struggling to dig the truth. While highlighting Vaishali’s struggle to seek the truth, the movie also focuses on the sexual exploitation of young girls in every possible way. The representation is as authentic as it can be, and it breaks your heart. The topic is sensitive, and the makers have kept the same approach, as this heinous crime has not been sensationalised even once.

The movie has a feminist tone to it without once being loud about the same. The way Bansi Sahu’s character controls the situations proves how men in power, no matter what horrible crime they commit, won’t suffer the consequences. However, Vaishali faces challenges not only in her professional life but also in her personal life. As a journalist, there’s no proper schedule, especially when chasing such an important story. We’re shown the ups and downs and the unfair treatment given to Vaishali, just because she’s a working woman in such a mentally demanding profession. The makers have aptly shown the husband’s insecurity and unjust treatment that many working women face in several Indian households.

While Bhakshak engages you with its disturbing yet crucial narrative, it sometimes feels crowded. There are too many characters that offer little to the narrative. It’s distracting, considering the thought-provoking and chilling tale of power and exploitation that are so well-presented on screen.

Bhakshak Movie Review: Star Performance

I felt like I finally saw Bhumi Pednekar act on screen after a long time, even though I’ve seen Thank You For Coming. Bhumi is a fantastic performer but severely underutilised. Stories and characters like this bring out the best in her as an actor. Throughout, Bhumi, as Vaishali, keeps you hooked with her quest for answers, struggles, and resilience. Her character reminds me of the simpler times when reporters had some importance and didn’t look like loud clowns in front of the camera.

Aditya Srivastava, as Bansi Sahu, aptly represents every horrible man out there, drunk with power, arrogance and callous behaviour. Aditya is so brilliant that you actually start to hate his character within the first few minutes. Sanjay Mishra and Sai Tamhankar play their parts well.

Bhakshak Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)

Bhakshak Movie Review: Direction, Music

With a topic of sexual abuse faced by young girls in such shelter homes and the disgraceful demeanour of men in power, director Pulkit has also shown us what journalism and reporting honestly look like. In times when we are so used to seeing journalists screaming nonsense in front of the camera, it was refreshing to see Vaishali Singh being calm and composed yet firm with her standpoint.

Bhakshak Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)

Furthermore, the director has conveyed his message in the present and flashback scenes without confusing the viewer. We have seen how sexual abuse is often dramatised in movies or shows. Seeing that not happening in Bhakshak is commendable, and that’s how it should be. Sexual exploitation is not something to be exaggerated to cause an effect. The crime is such that one naturally feels disturbed and disgusted towards the people responsible for it.

The makers also impress us with subtle commentary in between that is not related to the main subject – Whether it’s a dig at the current journalism or pointing out how unquestioningly people believe WhatsApp forwards.

The movie has a few songs which weren’t necessary, especially towards the climax. The narrative is already impactful, and adding a song didn’t really do anything additional to make the story more persuasive.

Bhakshak Movie Review: The Last Word

Overall, Bhakshak is a must-watch as it provides us with a compelling story and performance. It subtly champions feminism sometimes without being overly preachy. The film serves as a reminder of what power the right kind of journalism holds and how we’re in ruins because that’s completely missing today.

Three and a half stars!