Movie Review: Director Bhumi Pednekar tells a chilling story about the abuse of girls in shelters

Some films are difficult to watch because they document the nature of the crime, and Bhumi Pednekar’s Bakshak falls into that category, depicting rampant sexual abuse in state-run shelters for underage girls. I’m digging into it. What makes you even more uneasy is the realization that the film is inspired by his sordid 2018 real-life Muzaffarpur shelter housing incident.

Veteran actress Bhumi Pednekar plays Vaishali Singh, a journalist from a small town in Patna who is determined to bring predators (meaning Bakshak) to light and hopefully put them behind bars. She and Sanjay Mishra, who plays the cameraman, run a local news channel that is on the verge of bankruptcy. She learns, through a tip-off from one of her sources (who pays the story peg fee), that there is a report pointing to abuse at a government-funded shelter. Orphan girls disappearing without a trace and young prisoners being drugged and assaulted only scratch the surface.

The opening scene, in which a young girl dies when a demonic predator forces angry chili powder into her body, sets the tone for this chilling film. The ruthlessness with which the warden disposes of the young woman’s corpse is moving. Director Pulkit does a masterful job of shocking the viewers with scenes that are provocative but not completely exploitative.

Although the film is primarily about a fierce woman’s tenacious quest to save orphans who are suffering from misfortune, it is Vaishali’s personal life that captured my heart. The pressure she faces from her in-laws to have a child, their disdain for her long working hours, their lack of support for her career, and her husband’s indifference towards her day-to-day work, etc. is caused by emotion. There was a scene where Vaishali comes home late and her husband is frustrated because he doesn’t get a proper home-cooked meal. Her heart warms as she hears their argument and her harsh opinion that Vaishali will also learn how to cook with her. The film examines the relationship between a married couple overwhelmed by the busyness of everyday life and the deep-seated prejudices of men. The systemic patriarchy on display is a joy to watch, especially in the scenes where Vaishal confronts her unfriendly husband’s family, who cannot fully understand her passion for good storytelling. But what’s the good part? They are not demonized indiscriminately. You don’t agree with their way of thinking, but you also understand that they are coming from a troubled place.

But the heart of the film is undoubtedly her journalistic quest to expose a powerful abuser. Actors like Aditya Srivastava, who plays the morally corrupt asylum warden Bansi Sahu, the embodiment of evil, are hateful and never step beyond his gray character. While the blatant abuse of young women will inspire the activist in you, the film also reminds us how law enforcement officers are tied to protocol and strong loyalty to the establishment.

What brings this film to life is the collective phenomenal acting led by Pednekar. Her Patna dialect and her helpless anger/frustration are poignantly captured in ‘Bakshak’. The scene in which she implores a runaway girl from her shelter to become her primary source and tell her dark experiences on camera is an emotional and moving scene.

The film would have greatly benefited from trimming the parts, especially where Vaishali tends to pontificate about being right. Her holier-than-thou monologues can be tiresome, but she reminds us of voiceless, faceless girls, and her training in evoking empathy feels less shrill. When this movie becomes too didactic, we are reminded of the real-life survivors and their fight for dignity, and feel that the least we can do is give it time.