Hunkkaar: The Roar Review: Aneet Padda returns to the screen with a powerful and emotionally demanding role in JioHotstar’s six-episode courtroom crime thriller Hunkkaar: The Roar. The series places Padda at the centre of a story about power, influence, faith, institutional pressure and a young survivor’s struggle to have her voice heard.
Directed by Nitya Mehra and Karan D. Kapadia, Hunkkaar: The Roar began streaming on JioHotstar on September 25, 2026. The series features Aneet Padda, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Raghubir Yadav, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Arjun Mathur, Ram Kapoor, Zoya Hussain, Rajesh Sharma, Charu Shankar and Seema Biswas.
At its centre is Meenu Rawat, a 17-year-old girl who accuses influential spiritual leader Sunil “Baapji” Chakosi of sexual assault. Her allegation sets off a chain of police investigation, courtroom proceedings, media attention and social pressure.
Rather than treating the case simply as a crime mystery, Hunkkaar examines what happens when an ordinary individual challenges someone with enormous social influence.
Hunkkaar: The Roar Story
The story of Hunkkaar: The Roar revolves around Meenu Rawat, a teenager living in a small-town environment in Madhya Pradesh.
Meenu’s decision to come forward against Baapji becomes the starting point of the series. Baapji is a highly respected spiritual figure with a large following, making the allegations particularly difficult for the authorities and community to confront.
The case soon becomes bigger than Meenu herself. Her allegation affects her family, the local community, the police investigation and the media narrative.
This creates the central conflict of Hunkkaar: Can one person’s voice be heard when the person she is challenging has influence over an entire ecosystem?
The series uses the courtroom and police investigation to explore themes such as institutional pressure, blind faith, victim-shaming and the complicated relationship between reputation and justice. Reviews from The Times of India and India Today both highlight the show’s focus on power, influence and institutional complications.
Aneet Padda as Meenu Rawat
The biggest attraction of Hunkkaar: The Roar is undoubtedly Aneet Padda’s performance.
Following the success of Saiyaara, Padda’s return has generated considerable interest. However, Hunkkaar presents her in a very different dramatic setting.
As Meenu Rawat, Padda plays a young woman caught between fear, social pressure and the determination to speak about what happened to her.
The performance is largely restrained rather than exaggerated. Meenu’s character does not depend entirely on dramatic courtroom speeches. Much of the emotional impact comes through her expressions, silences and reactions to the people around her.
The Indian Express described Padda and Fatima Sana Shaikh as largely convincing and noted that they own some of the show’s strongest moments. Hindustan Times, meanwhile, placed particular emphasis on Padda’s performance and her ability to establish herself as an actor beyond her recent popularity.
This makes Meenu one of the most important elements of the series.
Raghubir Yadav as Baapji
Veteran actor Raghubir Yadav plays Sunil “Baapji” Chakosi, the influential spiritual leader at the centre of the allegations.
The character is important because Baapji’s power does not come simply from an official position. His influence is connected to his followers, reputation and the faith people place in him.
Yadav reportedly takes a controlled approach to the role instead of turning Baapji into an exaggerated villain.
That restraint creates an interesting contrast with the emotional intensity of Meenu’s situation.
Hindustan Times particularly praised Yadav’s restrained acting, while The Times of India also identified the performances as one of the series’ strengths.
Fatima Sana Shaikh as ACP Jasleen Singh Soin
Fatima Sana Shaikh plays ACP Jasleen Singh Soin, the police officer involved in investigating the case.
Her role provides an institutional perspective on the story.
Jasleen has to deal with a sensitive investigation involving an influential spiritual figure while navigating social attitudes and institutional pressures.
Recent coverage also notes that Sana Shaikh saw an opportunity to expand the character beyond what was initially on the page. She has spoken about feminism and women’s rights while discussing her role in the series.
Her performance gives the investigation a more grounded dimension and ensures that Hunkkaar is not solely dependent on Meenu’s perspective.
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Arjun Mathur
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Arjun Mathur also play significant roles in the series.
Zeeshan Ayyub plays lawyer Bhalerao, bringing the courtroom side of the story into focus. His presence adds energy to the legal proceedings and gives the series another avenue through which to examine justice.
Arjun Mathur plays journalist Amitabh Sinha, bringing the media perspective into the narrative.
Together, the legal and media characters help expand Hunkkaar beyond a straightforward police investigation.
The story therefore operates through several interconnected worlds — the survivor, the police, the courtroom, the media and the community surrounding the spiritual leader.
Hunkkaar Review: What Works
One of the strongest aspects of Hunkkaar: The Roar is its central premise.
The series asks difficult questions about what happens when allegations are made against a person who enjoys immense social influence.
It also focuses on the reactions surrounding the case rather than treating the investigation as an isolated event.
The performances are another major strength.
Aneet Padda gives Meenu an emotional centre, while Raghubir Yadav brings considerable experience to the role of Baapji. Fatima Sana Shaikh provides a contrasting perspective through the character of ACP Jasleen Singh Soin.
Several reviews have specifically praised the acting. Hindustan Times gave particular attention to Padda and Yadav, while India Today described the three leads as helping lift an otherwise uneven series.
The six-episode format also allows the show to explore the case through different institutions instead of focusing exclusively on the courtroom.
Hunkkaar Review: What Doesn’t Work
While the concept is strong, the screenplay has received mixed reactions.
India Today described the writing as scattered and suggested that the show’s strong premise sometimes gets lost. Moneycontrol similarly noted that the series starts promisingly but gradually loses its way because of uneven writing and underdeveloped characters.
The Indian Express also gave the series 2.5 out of 5 and highlighted the performances while pointing to limitations in the overall storytelling.
Another criticism is that stories involving powerful spiritual leaders and survivors seeking justice have already appeared several times in Indian cinema and OTT content.
Cinema Express specifically noted that the series works with familiar tropes surrounding powerful godmen and resilient survivors.
Therefore, while Hunkkaar has a serious subject and strong performances, its narrative execution may not feel equally fresh throughout.
Hunkkaar OTT Release Date and Streaming Platform
Hunkkaar: The Roar premiered on September 25, 2026, on JioHotstar.
The series consists of six episodes and combines elements of a courtroom drama, crime thriller and social drama.
The release also marks an important post-Saiyaara project for Aneet Padda, making the series particularly significant for audiences following her career.
Hunkkaar Cast
The main cast of Hunkkaar: The Roar includes:
- Aneet Padda as Meenu Rawat
- Raghubir Yadav as Sunil “Baapji” Chakosi
- Fatima Sana Shaikh as ACP Jasleen Singh Soin
- Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Bhalerao
- Arjun Mathur as Amitabh Sinha
- Ram Kapoor
- Zoya Hussain
- Rajesh Sharma
- Charu Shankar
- Seema Biswas
The ensemble cast is one of the series’ notable features, with established actors supporting the central performances.
Hunkkaar Review: Aneet Padda’s Career After Saiyaara
For Aneet Padda, Hunkkaar arrives at an interesting point in her career.
After the attention surrounding Saiyaara, expectations around her next project were naturally high. Hunkkaar gives her a role that is considerably different in tone.
Instead of relying on romance or glamour, the series requires her to carry a socially sensitive dramatic narrative.
This makes Meenu Rawat an important role in demonstrating Padda’s versatility.
The response from critics has been particularly positive regarding her acting. While reviewers disagree about the screenplay, Padda’s performance is repeatedly identified as one of the series’ strongest components.
Hunkkaar Review: Final Analysis
Hunkkaar: The Roar is a socially focused courtroom crime thriller built around a young survivor challenging a powerful spiritual leader.
Its strongest elements are Aneet Padda’s performance, Raghubir Yadav’s restrained portrayal and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s police-officer character.
The show’s central themes — power, faith, institutional pressure, media attention and the struggle for justice — give it relevance beyond a conventional crime thriller.
However, the writing has divided critics. Some reviews have praised the series’ performances and serious treatment of its subject, while others have found the screenplay uneven and certain characters underdeveloped.
The result is a series whose performances appear to be more consistently praised than its storytelling.
For viewers searching for a new Indian courtroom drama with a socially relevant subject and a strong ensemble cast, Hunkkaar: The Roar offers a serious six-episode viewing option.
