What makes ‘Bad Girl’ so bad?

The Tamil film Bad Girl has found itself at the centre of a growing controversy after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court ordered the Central Government to remove its teaser from all social media platforms within a month. The court’s decision came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that claimed that the teaser contained obscene content involving minors.

This ruling has cast a shadow over the film’s planned theatrical release on September 5. Despite being cleared by the censor board with a U/A certificate — which allows children to watch the film under parental guidance — Bad Girl now faces uncertainty about whether it will make it to Indian theatres at all.

The film marks the directorial debut of Varsha Bharath, a former assistant to celebrated filmmaker Vetri Maaran. Backed by Vetri Maaran’s Grass Root Film Company and supported by acclaimed Hindi director Anurag Kashyap, Bad Girl is a personal, coming-of-age story about a young Indian girl navigating the pressures of conservative society, the stirrings of freedom and the complexities of emerging sexuality. When the teaser dropped in January 2025, it sparked immediate backlash — especially for its portrayal allegedly a ‘Brahmin’ girl wrestling with her inner impulses — drawing criticism from conservative groups and online detractors alike.

Yet outside India, Bad Girl has been met with critical acclaim. The film has collected prestigious international awards, including the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and the Young Jury Award at Spain’s Cinema Jove. It has also screened at festivals in Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Toulouse, with upcoming showings in Italy and Poland. Featuring a strong cast that includes Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam, Sashank Bommireddipalli and Saranya Ravichandran, Bad Girl promises to be a bold, emotionally layered narrative about identity, resistance and freedom.

But Bad Girl is not alone in stirring the waters. It joins a long list of Indian films and series that have faced public outrage, censorship and institutional pushback simply for exploring female desire, autonomy and rebellion against patriarchy.

In 2018, Veere Di Wedding, directed by Shashanka Ghosh, sparked outrage over a masturbation scene featuring a female character. The film, which focused on female friendships and the pressure of marriage, was heavily trolled online, leading to slut-shaming and conservative backlash.

Before that, in 2017, S Durga — originally titled Sexy Durga — faced severe backlash for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. Directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the film explored systemic fear and gender dynamics, but the controversy surrounding it led to its removal from the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), sparking a nationwide debate about artistic freedom and censorship.

Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) similarly ruffled feathers. Its exploration of female sexuality, generational desire and the push-pull between hijab and modernity led the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to deny it a certificate, calling it “lady-oriented” with “sexual scenes and abusive words.” Eventually, the film was released with an “A” certificate after an appeal and some cuts.

Leena Yadav’s Parched (2015), set in rural India, showcased bold intimate scenes involving female pleasure and autonomy, sparking debate for its daring portrayal of women in traditionally restrictive environments.

Margarita with a Straw (2014), directed by Shonali Bose, offered an exploration of bisexuality and disability through a protagonist with cerebral palsy. The film faced censorship over queer intimacy and masturbation scenes, but broke ground in representing marginalised identities.

Perhaps the most landmark controversy dates back to Fire (1996), Deepa Mehta’s film about lesbian love and women trapped in suffocating traditional roles. The characters’ names – Sita and Radha and themes provoked violent protests from right-wing groups and was briefly withdrawn from theaters, only to be re-released later amid widespread public support.

Even the world of streaming isn’t immune. In 2021, Bombay Begums, another Alankrita Shrivastava creation, came under fire when the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued a notice over the show’s portrayal of minors. The Netflix series, which explored themes of power, ambition, motherhood and sexuality through the lens of five women, was both praised and condemned for pushing social boundaries.

In many ways, Bad Girl is part of a larger, ongoing battle over who gets to tell women's stories — and how those stories are allowed to be told. Whether or not the court-ordered removal of its teaser affects its release, the film has already opened up vital conversations about censorship, representation, and the complexities of growing up in a society still struggling with female autonomy.