Use your voice for better

A still from the series

To read the script of a film like Bhakshak is both painful and hopeful. There was no way Sai Tamhankar would pass up the crime thriller, which is inspired by the 2018 Muzaffarpur shelter home case. "It reminds you that a better tomorrow is around the corner," she reasons. The actor plays a fiery cop, who supports a small-time journalist, essayed by Bhumi Pednekar, in shedding light on the rampant child abuse that goes on in a Bihar shelter home and brings the criminals to book.

Tamhankar says that director Pulkit took care of the Netflix film's research, giving her a powerful script and a character that aligns with the kind of roles she wants to portray. "My director knew everything about the case; he spent years with this story. This film is meant to be a conversation-starter. It reminds you to not be silent to atrocities. As an actor, I don't ever want to stop growing. It's important to see what my character stands for and what she uses her voice for. I want to do something potent every time."

In Pednekar, she found an artiste who shared her idea of starting a dialogue through her work. Tamhankar says, "I am so glad that the film has two women cracking the case. Bhumi is approachable, hard-working, and we gelled from the moment we met."