Madras High Court orders removal of 'Bad Girl' teaser from all social media platforms
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ordered the central government to remove the teaser of Varsha Bharath’s Bad Girl from all social media platforms. Citing that the film shows minors distastefully, the court ordered the removal of the teaser within one month of the order, and proper controls be put in place to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Passing orders on a PIL filed by two individuals - Ramkumar and Rameshkumar- from Sankarankovil near Virudhunagar in South Tamil Nadu, the Madurai bench ordered the removal of the teaser and action taken on the individuals concerned. According to the petitioners, the teaser contains obscene scenes involving children, arguing that it should be considered a "sexual offence."
With the court’s order to remove the teasers, the makers are yet again caught in a tight spot, as doubts have arisen whether the film will make the scheduled release date of September 5. Director Varsha Bharath’s coming-of-age drama, Bad Girl, slated for release on said date across India after a global festival run, has now been officially certified U/A by the censor board.
Written and directed by debutante Varsha Bharath, who wanted to tell an extremely personal story of growing up as a South Indian girl, Bad Girl had garnered widespread critical acclaim and accolades from the international film fraternity. Produced by popular filmmaker Vetri Maaran and presented by Anurag Kashyap under the banner of Grass Root Film Company, it is a bold and emotionally stirring coming-of-age drama.
Varsha, a former assistant director of Vetri Maaran, wanted to make a straight-from-the-heart, relatable, coming-of-age film in her debut. Varsha’s story is about a young girl growing up in a conservative world, grappling with chaotic, inexplicable desires, while also drawn to boys and absolute freedom and struggling. The teaser, released in January 2025, created an uproar for using a brahmin girl to tell the story of a woman tussling with her sexual desires.
The film has however had a successful global run and has won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR); Young Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the 40th Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival (Spain); Jury Mention for Music for Amit Trivedi at Cinema Jove and Student Choice Award at the Indian Film Festival of Toulouse (France). 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.
Additionally, the film is set to be screened internationally at Karawan Fest (Italy) and New Horizons International Film Festival (Poland). Ahead of the theatrical release in India, the film has more festival appearances lined up in the next few weeks.
With a powerful narrative rooted in identity, freedom, and resistance, Bad Girl features an impressive ensemble cast including Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam, Sashank Bommireddipalli, and Saranya Ravichandran.
With its international honours and fearless storytelling, Bad Girl is poised to be a complete, packed entertainer.
Entertainment