India, Nov. 21 -- When Rahul Ravindran's new Telugu film, The Girlfriend, was released in theatres earlier this month, the online chatter made it seem like an explosively provocative movie.

"It's feminist propaganda", "Himmat hai to apni girlfriend ko saath leke movie dekho (Watch it with your girlfriend if you have the guts)" and "No sense, just pure feminist emotion" were some of the comments online.

Imagine my surprise when I watched it and discovered that Rashmika Mandanna, who headlines the film, doesn't play a virago on a manhunt. Her Bhooma is a good, wholesome young woman without even the shock value of the recently released Bad Girl, Varsha Bharath's impressive directorial debut.

Bad Girl's heroine Ramya (played by Anjali Siva...