New Delhi: Aneet Padda is everywhere in the online reactions to Hunkkaar: The Roar. Across X, Instagram and Reddit, users keep coming back to her performance as 17-year-old Meenu Rawat.
Hunkkaar, directed by Nitya Mehra and Karan D Kapadia, began streaming on JioHotstar Friday. It follows Meenu after she accuses spiritual leader Sunil “Baapji” Chakosi of sexual assault. The cast includes Raghubir Yadav as Baapji, Fatima Sana Shaikh as ACP Jasleen Singh Soin, who investigates the case, along with Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Arjun Mathur and Ram Kapoor.
Padda’s performance was the obvious spark for a majority of reactions.
“Her eyes carry it all, the pain, the rage, the desperation, the quiet roar of a woman refusing to disappear. It lingers long after the screen goes black,” one Instagram user wrote.
But there was plenty of praise to go around.
“Every single second kept me hooked, and the performances by every single person were absolutely incredible,” another Instagram user wrote. An X user agreed. “Aneet Padda, Fatima Sana Shaikh and the entire cast have been outstanding. Performances feel natural, the pacing works, and the storytelling keeps you invested.”
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub too got a shoutout for one particular scene.
“I love when a scene carries a message with such simplicity that it leaves you silent for a moment. The way Zeeshan delivers this scene, followed by the camera shifting to Aneet looking at Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait, is beautifully written and @Mdzeeshanayub loved your performance,” one X user wrote.
A ‘harmless’ villain and a ‘believable’ cop
Raghubir Yadav’s Baapji worked for a very different reason — he did not arrive looking like an obvious villain.
“I actually really liked Raghubir Yadav’s Bapaji more than most godman portrayals. The restraint makes him all the more menacing, esp cuz he initially appears so harmless,” a Reddit user wrote.
Fatima Sana Shaikh’s ACP Jasleen drew praise for making the police officer feel believable.
“At such a tricky time, the trust that she brings in the police with her sincerity and her presence is remarkable, and credit to all three directors for getting these performances out,” one Instagram user said.
Viewers also complimented Padda’s final monologue. One fan account claimed the scene had grown out of a workshop discussion rather than being originally scripted, with Padda asked to express what she felt after living as Meenu.
“The fact that this was a discussion in the workshop and Karan decided to make this the most powerful monologue of the series says so much about the kind of actor Aneet is. Bollywood is blessed,” an X user wrote.
The subject at the heart of the show — the story of a survivor — was also the centre of heated online discussions.
“It looks at what happens after a survivor speaks — the questions about her behaviour, the pressure on her family, public judgement, blind faith and the uncomfortable gap between having evidence and actually being believed,” one Instagram user wrote.
A Reddit user picked up on the expectation that a survivor has to keep looking and behaving like one. “People in India want women victims to act like victims for the rest of their lives. She was eating pani puri, can you imagine? The stigmatisation they go through is so crushing.”
Some users, though, were not convinced Hunkkaar was doing something new.
“Every cop show is about rape now days,” one Reddit user wrote.
In the same discussion, another brought up Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023), the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer about a lawyer taking on a powerful godman accused of sexually assaulting a minor. “Sirf Ek Banda kaafi hai is already done and brilliantly made.”
Others thought the godman storyline was exactly what made the show work.
“Without targeting any religion, the show sensitively handles the topic and shows us the brutal reality of the superstition of some brainwashed people,” one X user wrote.
Another user was more effusive. “Brilliant storytelling that awakens the masses. Thank you JioHotstar for bringing such powerful, reality-driven narratives to our screens. Showing society its true mirror is highly commendable!”
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s Bhalerao also resonated with one user for a very specific reason.
“This lawyer guy is really cool. Very grounded. I especially like how he’s very anti-litter.”