Offended by the teaser of Bad Girl, a coming-of-age film directed by debutant Varsha Bharath, the Hindu right-wing and others have launched a campaign to boycott the movie. The film’s release date is yet to be announced.
The teaser shows the lead character played by Anjali Sivaraman, perceived to be from a Brahmin community, defying her family and the societal norms thrust on her. It shows Anjali, a school girl, nonchalantly talking about her interest in having a boyfriend, porn, sex, romance etc. A scene from the film shows her grandmother admonishing her for ‘polluting’ the house during her menstruation.
The film, produced by Vetrimaaran and Anurag Kashyap under the banner Grassroot film company, was selected at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2025. Varsha worked as an assistant director for Vetrimaaran’s Visaaranai.
IFFR’s short review of the film reads, “Bad Girl is a pacy, energetic coming-of-age comedy, driven by Anjali Sivaraman’s [the actor’s] exuberant and utterly relatable portrayal, which captures Ramya’s moody, vibrant, and joyous complexity with remarkable depth.”
“In Tamil cinema women are always symbolised as flowers, monogamous, goddess, purity etc. I felt that it is too much pressure for a woman to carry on their shoulders, so I just wanted to write a character that is very relatable…” Varsha said at the promotional event of the film. Speaking about the film’s title which has a ‘negative connotation’, the director said that her lead character is flawed, makes mistakes but does not hurt others.
She said that her movie is not a self-help book for women and that she is not telling others on how to live their life. The character in the movie is very flawed, she reiterated.
The agitating groups allege that Vetrimaaran is peddling his “Dravidian ideology” through the film. They are questioning why the filmmaker chose a Brahmin character to depict the idea of a liberated woman.
Interestingly, though Pa Ranjith is not associated with the film, except for attending its prerelease event and sharing the teaser on his social media, several right-wing accounts have targeted him.
Responding to Ranjith’s tweet, Director Mohan G, known for his anti-Dalit films like Draupathi and Bakasuran, lamented saying, “Portraying a brahmin girl personal life is always a bold and refreshing film for this clan. What more can be expected from vetrimaran, Anurag kasyap & Co.. Bashing Brahmin father and mother is old and not trendy.. Try with your own caste girls and showcase it to your own family first.” (sic).
Even rabid Tamil nationalists like Paari Saalan found fault with the teaser. “Let the girls in your house proudly talk about how many guys they had fun with during their school days at this film launch event and be an example of your wonderful lifestyle. This film is a conspiracy to make women from other communities lustful and taste their flesh,” he said.
Actor Kasthuri, who is also a Brahmin, commented that the filmmakers are spreading false narratives against her community. “Virtue is a struggle? Self discipline is regressive? Promiscuity is power, rebellion... But only in a brahmin family.Why not be daring and refreshing about other communities/religion? That wud have been honest at least.” (sic) she wrote.
A similar campaign targeted Nayanthara’s 2023 film Annapoorani. In the film Nayanthara portrays a Brahmin character defying caste and religious norms to pursue her passion for cooking. The outrage from Hindu right-wing groups led Netflix to remove the film from its platform.