When two of the best working filmmakers of India come together to produce a film, one should expect something special. The project the duo have decided to represent is Varsha Bharath’s directorial debut ‘Bad Girl,’ a coming of age tale starring Anjali Sivaraman as the eponymous protagonist.
The film follows the life of Ramya (Sivaraman) through her pivotal relationships from her school days into adulthood. The storytelling approach is quite novel for Tamil cinema with an abundance of expressionist flourishes in every department. One of the strongest parts of the film is the ways in which it breaks the fourth wall, mirroring the rebellious streak in our protagonist. This playful attitude to filmmaking is refreshing, and aids in telling Ramya’s story. The style and plot of ‘Bad Girl’ is reminiscent of the third episode of Modern Love Chennai ‘Kadhal Enbadhu Kannula Heart Irukkura Emoji,’ however ‘Bad Girl’ is not at all cloying, unlike ‘KEKHIE.’
Sivaraman shoulders the responsibility of playing the lead role of Ramya deftly - she very believably plays a character at every stage over the course of almost twenty years. The other highlight performance is from Shanthipriya who plays Ramya’s mother - a reserved and proud woman who hides a trove of emotion. Hridhu Haroon (who starred in last year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner ‘All We Imagine As Light’) and Teejay Arunasalam play the roles of Ramya’s partners at different stages of her life with grace.
The film’s craft works highly in its favour. The cinematography - handled by Preetha Jayaraman, Jagadeesh Ravi and Prince Anderson - is creative, vibrant and well considered. The editing by Radha Sridhar matches whichever tone the film goes for: sometimes disorienting and other times crisp and sharp. The production team works well together to bring Bharath’s vision to life. Composer Amit Trivedi, known primarily for his work in the Hindi film industry, makes his Tamil debut with ‘Bad Girl.’ The film’s score also matches the energy of the film with its whimsical tone.
Overall, ‘Bad Girl’ is hopefully the start of something new for Tamil cinema. There are many pieces of media in the last ten years in the West that tackle this subject, such as 2015’s ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl,’ 2017’s ‘Lady Bird’ and the BBC show ‘Fleabag.’ It should be celebrated that there is now a filmmaker who can explore something that has been a sore blind-spot in Tamil cinema.
Krishna's rating: 4 stars
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Official teaser for film below.