Vetri Maaran says Bad Girl is his last film as producer: 'After that we are shutting down...'
Director Vetri Maaran, who last directed Viduthalai 2 and has backed Varsha Bharath's upcoming film Bad Girl, had announced that this project will be the last movie he is backing under his Grass Root Film Company. The decision seems to have come after Bad Girl and his another produced project Manushi, directed by Gopi Nainar have been embroiled in controversies, leading to issues with the censor board.
Speaking at the press meet of the film on Monday, the filmmaker said, "Since I am a producer, I need to be careful and wary of every comment that comes about the film, including its teaser and trailer. Since these factors affect the film's revenue, it becomes an added pressure for the producer. Already Manushi is in court and they have given an order for it. Even for Bad Girl, the film had to go through a revising committee to get a U/A 16+ certificate."
He further added, "There were a lot of assumptions on the film when the teaser released, but I can assure you that Bad Girl is not one such movie. Manushi went through one censor screening and two revising committee screening. Hence, being a producer is a big challenge. So we have decided that Bad Girl is our last film and we are closing down Grass Root Film Company."
Bad Girl, directed by Varsha Bharath has been facing heavy criticism for its "offensive depiction of children" and teenagers. Several social media users pointed to its portrayal of caste and stated that the film would be a bad influence to youngsters. In July, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court ordered the removal of the teaser from social media platforms. It was later re-uploaded on YouTube and other platforms.
Manushi, on the other hand, starring Andrea Jeremiah, was suggested 25 cuts and 12 scenes to be replaced by the Madras HC in its recent hearing. Several objectionable scenes and dialogues were pointed out by the team. This was strongly opposed by Vetri Maaran. Judge Anand Venkatesh said that the film questions God, faith, identity and ideologies after watching the film on August 24. He said that while it is not necessary to remove all scenes listed by the board, a few needed changes and removal. He added that the censor board and its committees must nevertheless exhibit a sense of broad-mindedness when it comes to matters of artistic freedom.
However, he praised the team for "exploring the dark underbelly of power, exposing how the instruments of law and order, when driven by assumptions and pressure, can silence reason and trample upon justice" and suggested the makers to carry out the modifications within two weeks and resubmit the movie to the CBFC.
Bad Girl is the directorial debut of Varsha Bharath and is backed by directors Vetri Maaran and Anurag Kashyap. The film won the NETPAC (Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025, where it held its world premiere.
Anjali Sivaraman leads the cast of Bad Girl, which also includes Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam, Saranya Ravichandran, Shanthi Priya, and Sashank Bommireddipalli. It is slated for release on September 5 alongside Sivakarthikeyan Madharaasi and Bala's Gandhi Kannadi.
