Bad Girl: A Fierce, Unfiltered Portrait of Feminine Freedom

Varsha Bharat has a very unique voice and it's something I have never thought of. It was one of those moments where it hit me like, "oh ipudi kooda padam yedukalama?"

There is a scene where Ramya searches for her missing cat. After endless searching, she sits on an empty bench, where a dog comes and sits next to her.

I think this frame spoke volumes about the film. In our society dogs are examples of loyalty and obedience whereas Cats are polar opposite. They live differently, distant and free, occupied by themselves. Varsha conveys that women don't have to be dogs at all. But maybe choosing to be cats doesn't make them a "bad girl." 

Bad Girl by Varsha Bharat heralds a new and confident voice in Indian cinema. The movie does not follow the road less travelled, neither in narration, nor in presentation. Similar to its main character Ramya, it prefers to be unpredictable, crude, and lively. Ramya is not a likeable character.

She is not an ideal daughter, lover or even rebel. She exists for herself. When her boyfriend fails her, she punches him, yet Bharat is so convincing in how he pretends to do it. Ramya jumps on black tiles, nearly in play, and turns to him. It is her moment rather than his. That is the inherent power of the film, it does not turn its back on her. The world is restless and intimate with the craft of Bharat.

There is one impressive auto scene where Ramya fights with her mother. We then suddenly have inserts of their eyes, the helplessness of the mother, the scorn of Ramya before returning to the argument. This type of editing, together with fluid cinematography, brings that disarming energy to the film. The use of voice over is new even. Ramya’s consideration of generational links of patriarchy feels as an emotional fact, rather than a support structure in the story. The movie does not follow classic storylines. The breakup, as an example, is turned into a fragmented bit, soundtracked by Amit Trivedi. That is all we need. Even minor tones are loaded.

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Ramya holds a baby which calms down in her arms but then cries in the same spot back on the stage- this is a chilling metaphor of freedom robbed and roles played. What also makes Bad Girl interesting is its sympathetic attitude toward the mother of Ramya. Shantipriya is a multi-layered portrayal of decades of stifled sorrow. The movie makes the dearest confession to her, not the boyfriends of Ramya. Even Ramya is not provided as a model. She is egocentric, careless at times, confused too. Her decisions are not supported in the movie. Rather, it just lets her be. And therein its honesty its strength. 

Ultimately, the film doesn't ask you to love Ramya, it only asks you to see her. Bad Girl redefines what it means to tell a woman’s story, without apology, without restraint.

Verdict: Bad Girl is bold, raw and refreshingly disobedient — a stunning directorial debut that lets women simply exist, not explain.