Parents' Guide to Bhakshak

When Vaishali Singh runs into the story of a lifetime -- uncovering the abuse of young women in a shelter -- she must find the right tools and allies to seek justice for the victims. In Bhakshak, the director Pulkit (who co-wrote the film with Jyotsana Nath) dramatizes the infamous Muzaffarpur shelter case where 34 young women and girls were raped and some were killed while allegedly being protected by an NGO. Rather than exploit the material through violence and sensationalism, Pulkit focuses on Singh's efforts to bring attention to the case with limited resources.

Pednekar plays the journalist with conviction and grace, even as she's discouraged by her family and colleagues. Although the film's intentions are noble, the pacing and tactics used by the director often veer into the overly didactic. Rather than allowing viewers to digest and process what they're presented with, Singh becomes a lecturer who even addresses the audience at one point, robbing the film of its potential to join the ranks of great films about journalism and turning it into an after-school special. The film's heart is in the right place, but its head presumes viewers aren't as smart as its characters.