The upcoming Tamil film "Bad Girl," directed by Varsha Bharath, has won the NETPAC Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR) 2025. The teaser for the film caused a stir among the film community, with some critics praising the way a Brahmin girl was portrayed and others calling it "bold and refreshing."

Every year, a feature film from Asia and the Pacific region receives the NETPAC award. A panel from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema selects the movie.

NETPAC’s mission, the festival organisers claimed, was to highlight new talents. The film selected for this award must be from one of 71 eligible countries in Asia or the Pacific Nations and Islands to be considered.

It may be recalled that the teaser of the film, which was released a few days ago, triggered a controversy.

Director Pa Ranjith tweeted on his X timeline, praising the film. He wrote, “Happened to watch #BadGirl, and it’s truly a bold and refreshing film! Director #VetriMaaran deserves immense credit for backing such a daring story. The film powerfully portrays women’s struggles and society’s expectations through a unique new wave cinema style. Congratulations #varsha. Anjali Sivaraman delivers an amazing performance—don’t miss this one!”

However, soon after Pa Ranjith put out this tweet, director Mohan G Kshatriyan responded to it. Quoting Pa Ranjith’s tweet, he wrote, “Portraying a Brahmin girl(‘s) personal life is always a bold and refreshing film for this clan. What more can be expected from Vetrimaran, Anurag Kasyap & Co.. Bashing Brahmin father and mother is old and not trendy. Try with your own caste girls and showcase it to your own family first.”

This soon snowballed into a major controversy, with one section criticising the teaser and the film and another section supporting it.

The film, which has been directed by Varsha Bharath, features Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Saranya Ravichandran, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam and Sashank Bommireddipalli among others.

Cinematography for the film is by Preetha Jayaraman (ISC), Jagadeesh Ravi, Prince Anderson, music is by Amit Trivedi and editing for the film is by Radha Sridhar.

The film, which has been produced by ace director Vetrimaran, is presented by Vetrimaran in association with Anurag Kashyap.