Bad Girl (2025 film)
| Bad Girl | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Varsha Bharath |
| Written by | Varsha Bharath |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by | Radha Sridhar |
| Music by | Amit Trivedi |
Production company | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Bad Girl is an 2025 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age film written and directed by Varsha Bharath, starring Anjali Sivaraman in the lead role. The film is produced and presented by Vetrimaaran under his Grass Root Film Company banner, along with Anurag Kashyap. After getting premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on 7 February, the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 5 September 2025.
Synopsis
From her journey through high school and college, then out into the wider world, Ramya’s dream of finding the perfect guy is obstructed by societal mores, strict parents, unrequited love and the untrammelled chaos of her own mind, in Varsha Bharath’s naughty and affecting comedy.[1]
Cast
- Anjali Sivaraman as Ramya[2]
- Shantipriya
- Saranya Ravichandran
- Hridhu Haroon
- Teejay Arunasalam
- Sashank Bommireddipalli
Production
The film marks the directorial debut of Varsha Bharath, who had earlier worked as an assistant director in Udhayam NH4 (2013), and with Vetrimaaran in his films, Visaranai (2016) and Vada Chennai (2018).[3] The film is produced and presented by Vetrimaaran under his Grass Root Film Company banner, along with Anurag Kashyap.[4] The coming-of-age film stars Anjali Sivaraman in the lead role,[5] alongside Shanthipriya, Saranya Ravichandran,[6] Hridhu Haroon, Teejay Arunasalam, Sashank Bommireddipalli and others in important roles.[7] The technical team consists of Preetha Jayaraman, Jagadeesh Ravi, Prince Anderson handling the cinematography, Radha Sridhar handling the editing and Amit Trivedi handling the music.[8]
Music
The film has music composed by Amit Trivedi in his Tamil debut.[9] The first single "Please Yenna Appadi Paakadhey" was released on 28 March 2025.[10]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Please Yenna Appadi Paakadhey" | Kaber Vasuki | Maalavika Manoj |
Release
Premiere
Bad Girl was premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on 7 February 2025.[11]
Theatrical
The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 5 September 2025.[12]
Home Media
The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were bought by JioHotstar and the satellite rights of the film were bought by Vijay TV and Colors Tamil.
Accolades
The film won the NETPAC Award at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam.[13]
Controversy
Soon after the release of the teaser on 26 January 2025, director Mohan G. Kshatriyan on his X (formerly Twitter) handle claimed that the film is portraying Brahmins in a bad light,[14] following which several criticisms broke out in social media for promoting underage drinking and misrepresenting a specific community.[2] Criticisms were more directed towards the film's producers, Vetrimaaran and Anurag Kashyap, and the criticisms further escalated into personal attacks and trolls on Pa. Ranjith, and the families of Vijay Sethupathi and Vetrimaaran.[15] In reply to the backlash surfacing over the media, Varsha stated that her film isn't targeting any specific community and added that she can only make films that are relatable, familiar and personal to her.[16]
References
- ^ "Bad Girl". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ a b Ganesh, Sanjana (2025-02-18). "Varsha Bharath interview: On 'Bad Girl', the talk surrounding the teaser, and working with Vetri Maaran and Anurag Kashyap". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "There is no such thing as a woman only being a certain way: Varsha Bharath". The Times of India. 2025-01-29. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2025-05-16. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ B, Jayabhuvaneshwari (2025-01-26). "Bad Girl teaser: A coming-of-age drama featuring the trials and tribulations of being a woman". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Teaser of 'Bad Girl', presented by Anurag Kashyap and Vetri Maaran, out". The Hindu. 2025-01-26. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ S, Ashwin (2025-04-08). "Saranya Ravichandran: Society places a lot of expectations on women". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ Kumar, Akshay (2025-03-27). "Bad Girl first single postponed owing to Manoj Bharathiraja's demise". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ "Bad Girl release date: Debutant Varsha Bharath's coming-of-age tale to hit big screens along with Madharasi". OTTPlay. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ Kumar, Akshay (2025-03-25). "Varsha Bharath's Bad Girl first single update out". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ Kumar, Akshay (2025-03-28). "Bad Girl first single 'Please Yenna Appadi Paakadhey' out now". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Varsha Bharath's Bad Girl wins NETPAC Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam". The Indian Express. 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ Features, C. E. (2025-07-08). "Bad Girl to release in September". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Tamil film 'Bad Girl' wins NETPAC Award at International Film Festival of Rotterdam". The Hindu. 2025-02-08. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ "Varsha Bharath's Bad Girl Bags NETPAC Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam Amid 'Brahmin' Controversy". News18. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Explained: The controversy surrounding Bad Girl's teaser and its Brahmin portrayal". India Today. 2025-01-29. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Bad Girl director Varsha Bharath on backlash: 'We live in a society where caste is a...'". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-07-08.