'Bad Girl' Movie Review, Honest Depiction Of Adulting, Coming-Of-Age Story Told Through Female Gaze

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. 

Most previous coming-of-age films, such as Premam, Wake Up Sid, and Udaan, have relied on the male perspective of adulting. However, Varsha Bharath stirs conversations around desire, menstruation and more, tagged as 'girl problems', without trying to spoonfeed the audience with feminism and what it means to be growing up from a girl to a woman in an average 'conventional' family. Director, Varsha also does a commendable job in making the film feel realistic and relatable, yet aesthetic and artistic. All these aspects make the film a smooth ride and effortlessly tie the whole film together. 

Female characters take centre stage in Bad Girl 

Although 'Ramya' might be the protagonist of the film, Bad Girl ensures that the audience is reminded that she isn't the only female character. Especially since the movie starts with her saying, 'Why am I like this?' in Tamil, the story makes sure that the viewers are subtly reminded that she isn't alone in this feeling. 'Ramya's friend, 'Sundari' is also shown to be going through similar bouts of uncertainty while growing up. Moreover, 'Ramya's relationship with her mother, 'Shantipriya' also plays a significant part in shaping her personality and character. The mother, who might have gone through similar experiences as a girl, finds it hard to understand her daughter, who is inching closer to womanhood. The screenplay beautifully displays the complexity and similarity between the mother and daughter as women. 

A few criticisms and the final verdict 

Although Bad Girl is a film told through a female gaze, it never truly decentralises men from the protagonist's life. Most of the storyline is moved forward through the relationships and heartbreaks she experiences with the three different men. The film does not give a clear view of 'Ramya's aspirations and ambitions without the help of her love life. However, despite this fact, Bad Girl is still a highly enjoyable film that, most importantly, lends agency to its female protagonist, depicting her solo journey into womanhood while showcasing how the stories of women are intertwined through shared experiences. 

Have you watched Varsha Bharath's Bad Girl? Share your review with us. 

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