Varsha Bharath’s ‘Bad Girl’, co-produced by Vetrimaaran, set for theatrical release

After global festival run,Bad Girl, the coming-of-age drama, is all set to release in theatres across India. The film has been officially certified U/A by the censor board.

Written and directed by debutante Varsha Bharath, and produced by acclaimed filmmaker Vetri Maaran, the film is presented by Anurag Kashyap under the banner of Grass Root Film Company. Bad Girl has garnered widespread critical acclaim and accolades on the international film festival circuit: The movie will hit the screens on September 05, 2025.

It won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The movie also clinched Young Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the 40th Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival (Spain). A Jury Mention for Music for Amit Trivedi at Cinema Jove and a Student Choice Award at the Indian Film Festival of Toulouse (France) are the other accolades won by the movie.

Additionally, the film has been officially selected and screened at prestigious festivals, including the Shanghai International Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and more.

Earlier this year, the film was surrounded by controversy. Some sections of the audience slammed the teaser of the film, especially for representing the protagonist as a girl from a Brahmin household.

Director Mohan G, best known for making films like Draupathiand Rudra Thandavam, said, “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)“ he wrote.

ALSO READ: Tamil film ‘Bad Girl’ wins NETPAC Award at International Film Festival of Rotterdam

Touted to be a powerful narrative rooted in identity, freedom, and resistance, Bad Girl features an ensemble cast including Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam, Sashank Bommireddipalli, and Saranya Ravichandran.

Preetha Jayaraman (ISC), Jagadeesh Ravi, and Prince Anderson are the cinematographers. Radha Sridhar is the editor, and Amit Trivedi is the music composer. V Shanmugaraja has handled the production design.