Harrowing and shocking, the Netflix drama Bhakshak tells the true story of a woman’s terrible struggle for justice and truth. We follow journalist Vaishali Singh investigating stories of abuse at a shelter in Bihar sadly inspired by the Muzaffarpur girls’ shelter home where 34 minors endured sexual abuse.
Is Bhakshak based on a true story?
Bhakshak is inspired by real events, and the story was exposed in 2018 after an audit was conducted by a team of researchers from Koshish — a Field Action Project focusing on homelessness and destitution at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) who were resolute and persistent in their duties. Over six months from October 2017, a team of seven investigators surveyed more than 110 institutions either operated or supported by the Bihar Government. The aim was to explore how these facilities were being operated and to assess whether there was more that could be done to help those in the care system provided, but instead, they would unravel a shocking catalog of sexual abuse.
What happened in 2018 with the Muzaffarpur Shelter case?
Muzaffarpur Shelter Home was one of the shelter homes where cases of sexual abuse were reported. In a police investigation that would use medical experts and interviews with the victims, it was reported that 34 out of 42 of the girls living at the shelter were subjected to horrific treatment.
An article in The Better India reveals that seventeen institutes involved in the social audit would be red-flagged. The prime accused, former Bihar MLA Brajesh Thakur, who was also in charge of many other such facilities, was convicted on multiple grounds of rape, gangrape (Section 376(d), IPC), criminal conspiracy, aggravated sexual assault under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, and offenses under the Juvenile Justice Act.
Thakur and 11 others currently serve a life sentence for their involvement in the appalling sexual assault of numerous minor girls.
Who directed the Netflix movie?
The film was directed by Pulkit Samrat who previously wrote and directed the film Maroon in 2017 and multiple episodes of the TV series Bose: Dead/Alive. In an interview done with TimesNowNews, the director would explain some of the processes behind making the film. He would tell of the extensive research he had done in preparing the film and say:
“We were not inspired by a single case, hence we didn’t put a name to it. And for a film like this, it doesn’t matter whether you name the city A or B, what matters is that this is inspired by a real story and is still happening in your neighborhood.”
Who plays Vaishali Singh in the film?
Vaishali Singh, the investigative journalist in the film, is played by the popular Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar. You may have seen her previously in films such as Thank You For Coming, Bheed, Govinda Naam Mera, and Bala. She was born in July 1989 in Bombay.
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