With the Indian film industry divided into numerous regional cinemas and mainstream Bollywood, thousands of stories are churned out each year. However, coming-of-age stories that offer a perspective on adulting have been largely missing from India’s screens. Bad Girl, the recently released Tamil film, not only fills the gap with its refreshing coming-of-age drama but also tells the story through the female gaze, offering an unflinching look into the life of a girl from her teens to her thirties. Here’s a review of Varsha Bharath’s directorial debut film, Bad Girl.
Bad Girl offers a fresh perspective on romantic relationships through the lens of a woman
In Varsha Bharath’s directorial debut, Bad Girl, the main protagonist, ‘Ramya’ (played by Anjali Sivaraman), navigates the highs and lows of life and love from the ages of 15 to 32. Throughout the years depicted in the movie, ‘Ramya’ enters into three relationships and subsequent heartbreaks. The storyline does a phenomenal job of showcasing ‘Ramya’s’ character arc, which helps the viewer to delve into how her experiences as a woman, family dynamics, and her own delusions and expectations play a huge role in stirring her love life.
