With an urgent subject and plenty of that trademark Netflix polish, Bhakshak is nothing if not watchable and consistently engaging. However, for all of its motivated performances and high production values, there actually doesn't seem to be much that happens in the film by way of investigation or character development. Much of the plot seems to progress solely on inertia, or through conversations that only ever repeat the film's themes. And with every new, intense scene of young girls being threatened or hurt at the hands of abusive men, it becomes harder to understand what these scenes are trying to tell us, especially when they keep the victims as voiceless as they are from the beginning.

The most important idea that Bhakshak communicates isn't exactly novel, but it's one that always feels pointed whenever it's raised in a film like this. It's that law enforcement, government agencies, and other entities that have the power to do something about widespread violence and injustice often find themselves with their hands tied—because of affiliations with the very same people responsible for these injustices. This admittedly isn't explored with that much depth in the film, and the revelation of this reality isn't as horrific as it ought to be, but it's something that deserves to be reiterated in plenty of movies.