In Bhakshak, Vaishali Singh, a struggling journalist from Patna, uncovers a harrowing case of abuse taking place at a shelter for young girls. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Vaishali Singh is a struggling journalist who is trying to build her independent channel, Koshish News, with her colleague, Bhaskar. It’s been three years since she started working on this channel, but she has yet to make a mark.
Vaishali’s husband’s family wants her to give birth to a baby and settle down with her husband, but Vaishali has decided to prioritize her career over everything.
Vaishali’s informant, Guptaji, eventually brings a social audit report on young girls being abused at a shelter in Munawwarpur. It’s been two months since the report arrived; the cops haven’t taken any action.
Vaishali decides to investigate the matter at hand before broadcasting this news. She and Bhaskar visit Munawwarpur and locate the girls’ shelter home that has been reported.
An employee from there sends them away. Mithilesh Sinha from the Child Welfare Committee also gives the excuse that they need to follow the system and avoids taking action.
Vaishali suspects that the report she has received has some truth to it. In the meantime, Bansi Sahu, who runs the girls’ shelter home in Munawwarpur, contacts Vaishali’s husband and threatens him.
Bansi Sahu himself is a journalist and has three newspapers of his own. He is well-connected and has fought in elections twice, even though he hasn’t won once.
This information on Bansi Sahu convinces Vaishali that Bansi’s connections have allowed him to run whatever is happening at his girls’ shelter home.
Though Bansi Sahu’s people are keeping an eye on her, Vaishali resumes her investigation and attempts to find strong evidence against his shelter home.
Vaishali doesn’t stop broadcasting news about them either, even though her channel is not popular. When she struggles to find a lead, she visits Bansi Sahu herself. Bansi sweetly warns her again.
Vaishali eventually finds Sudha, who has worked as a cook at Bansi’s shelter home. Sudha shares her harrowing story, but she doesn’t want Vaishali to use it for her channel.
Sudha witnessed the abuse the young girls face at Bansi Sahu’s shelter home and how far Bansi and his people can go.
Sudha was advised by one of the girls there to run away if she got a chance. Grabbing that chance, Sudha escaped while she could.
Vaishali now knows the truth about Bansi Sahu’s girls’ shelter home, but her husband’s family is now pressuring her not to chase it.
Vaishali speaks up against her brother-in-law and dares him to file a PIL against the state government for not taking action against Bansi Sahu.
Someone does file a PIL, but it’s Vaishali’s brother-in-law who pays the price. It is later revealed that it was Guptaji who filed the PIL.
Vaishali’s brother-in-law receives quite a beating and is hospitalized. At a time when Vaishali is questioning her decisions about speaking up, her husband, Arvind, stands by her side and encourages her to continue.
Vaishali starts a special report called Bhakshak to cover this news. She then seeks assistance from SSP Jasmeet Gaur, an IPS officer from Punjab who has been posted in Munawwarpur.
However, Jasmeet Gaur can’t go far without an official report, and they can’t rely on the audit report either. All roads are closed, and it is Vaishali who has to find a way.
Ending explained:
FIR filed
Vaishali and Bhaskar devise a plan. Bhaskar meets Bansi Sahu’s associates and creates tension between them by claiming that one of them is talking to Vaishali and offering her strong evidence.
Vaishali also makes use of another piece of news brought to her by Guptaji against Bansi Sahu and Munawwarpur girls’ shelter home.
Vaishali’s videos that have been uploaded online finally catch attention, and an FIR is filed, but the case will be handled by the Child Welfare Association. The investigation will begin only if some proof is found.
Vaishali fears that Mithilesh Sinha from the Child Welfare Committee, who is in cahoots with Bansi Sahu, might take over the case.
The only way to make sure that the case is handed over to Jasmeet is to find evidence against Bansi Sahu.
Sudha speaks up
Jasmeet has promised to arrest Bansi Sahu without anyone’s permission if Vaishali gets her evidence.
Vaishali’s case against Bansi Sahu and Munawwarpur girls’ shelter home isn’t strong, but the confession of one girl can change everything.
Vaishali visits Sudha to convince her to speak up. Sudha cares about her well-being. Hence, she would rather not get involved in this.
Vaishali reminds her of what she would have faced if she hadn’t escaped and how another Sudha might not be as lucky as her.
Vaishali convinces Sudha to fight for these girls, who have no one and are being abused by monsters like Bansi Sahu.
The aftermath
Sudha shares her experience at Bansi Sahu’s girls’ shelter home and explains in detail what happens there in a video.
Sudha’s video allows Jasmeet to raid Bansi Sahu’s girls’ shelter home. All the girls are rescued, while Bansi Sahu and his associates are arrested. The case receives a lot of publicity, forcing politicians to answer.
Vaishali, on the other hand, instead of celebrating, on her channel, speaks about how people avoid sharing or listening to news such as the Munawwarpur girls’ shelter home case.
Before ending the show, she leaves viewers with a question: have we forgotten to sympathize with others when they are suffering? Are we still humans, or have we become animals?
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