Bad Girl Movie Review: Strong performances elevate a familiar coming-of-age tale.
A sincere look at womanhood and identity, elevated by performance but constrained by a familiar structure and uneven pacing. On comes our Bad Girl Movie Review.
Bad Girl Movie Review
Emotionally honest but falters under familiar storytelling beats.
Performances
Story & Narration
Technical Aspects & Music
Varsha Bharath’s Bad Girl is a debut feature with ambition and emotional honesty, tracing the life of Ramya (Anjali Sivaraman), a woman navigating love, trauma, and familial pressure within a conservative Brahmin household. Told across chapters, the film follows her from adolescence to her thirties – beginning with a scandalous school affair, moving through an abusive college relationship, and culminating in the societal expectation of marriage.
Bharath’s direction reveals a clear eyed understanding of gender roles, social conditioning, and inner rebellion. The storytelling is deeply personal and culturally grounded, offering moments of intimacy that feel lived-in and real. However, despite its thoughtful framing and sincere intent, Bad Girl struggles to maintain narrative momentum. The film’s energy dips in its second half, and the plot begins to feel predictable, following well-worn emotional beats without surprising the viewer.
What holds the film together is Anjali Sivaraman’s heartfelt performance. As Ramya, she brings vulnerability, defiance, and emotional range that make her arc believable, even when the script leans into familiarity. Anjali carries the film in nearly every frame, and her portrayal is arguably the film’s strongest asset. Supporting actors, including Shanthi Priya and Hridhu Haroon, offer solid turns that help move the narrative forward.
Visually, the film makes interesting choices, using vibrant colors and intimate framing to reflect Ramya’s inner world, but these stylistic elements could have been pushed further to elevate the experience. Bad Girl is a film with its heart in the right place. It wants to say something about womanhood, repression, self-discovery, and to an extent, it does. But its emotional impact is softened by a familiar structure and uneven pacing.
Bad Girl is a one-time watch for its strong performances and culturally specific storytelling. It may not break new ground narratively, but it offers an honest look at a woman’s journey through love, loss, and self-definition.
Bad Girl Movie Rating: 3/5
