New Delhi, Oct. 12 -- Varsha Bharath, Vetrimaaran's longtime assistant director, debuted with Bad Girl, an intimate character study from action hero-obsessed Tamil cinema. Bharath's coming of-age story follows Ramya, played by Anjali Sivaraman, a young woman navigating strict family expectations and societal norms in her search for love and autonomy. Produced by Vetrimaaran and Anurag Kashyap, the film premiered at Rotterdam in February, releasing theatrically on 5 September in India.

While it got the best Asian film award at the Rotterdam film festival, Bad Girl sparked controversy in home state over accusations of negative portrayals of Brahmins, escalating to the Madras high court ordering the teaser's removal in July. Lounge caught a...