Bechdel Test is nothing but a three-step simple test to determine if the films are giving representation to female characters or if they have been sidelined by the male-dominated society here as well. Also known as Mo Movie Measure, the Bechdel was popularised in the west after it was created by a cartoonist Alison Bechdel for her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Over the years it gained immense popularity and a recent study suggests that the movies which pass the Bechdel Test have a higher chance of success at the box office.

The test poses three criteria for movies A) the movie has to have at least two women in it, B) who talk to each other, C) about anything but men. A reiteration of the test also adds the female characters in the movie should also have a name.

Well, we applied the Bechdel Test to some of the popular movies that released this year, and the result was unsatisfactory. Check out:

Race 3

Race 3 still

Salman Khan starrer action thriller stars two leading ladies - Daisy Shah and Jacqueline Fernandez. They both have been named in the movie and both talk to each other about things other than men. At least once. Remember the confrontation that leads to a hand to hand combat sequence in the pub?

Thugs of Hindostan

This YRF venture also passes the Bechdel test as the two leading ladies engage in small talk about patriotism at one point in the movie.

Baaghi 2

One of the biggest hits of the year fails terribly at the test. Let us just leave it at that.

Badhaai Ho

This Ayushmann Khurrana starrer comedy does make the cut. There are many interactions between women in the movie. Though Sanya Malhotra ends up talking about the man in her life with her mother. Surekha and Neena also talk about how the husband got latter pregnant in the movie.

Raazi

Alia Bhatt's espionage thriller also barely makes the cut. While the movie does centre on a female protagonist, her conversation with other female characters is amazingly limited. But the catch here is that Sehmat might be interacting with other women about men, but she always has a more ulterior motive behind it. So, the Bechdel Test won't be a perfect fit for this movie.

Stree

Touted to be a feminist movie, even though the makers never claimed that, Stree fails terribly at the test. The movie only features Shraddha Kapoor, who at no point interacts with any other female in the film. Hell, we don't even know her name in the horror comedy, but all this is something that the plot demanded.

Raid

Ajay Devgn and Ileana D'Cruz sharing a romantic moment in the song Sanu Ek Pal Chain (Photo credits: Song still)

Raid is the most disappointing of the lot. It does star more than one female actors. But none of them barely interact with each other. Other than the banter between the saas and bahu, there is no substantial conversation between women in this film.

Padmaavat

Padmaavat is slated for pan-India release on Jan 25 (File image)
Padmaavat is slated for pan-India release on Jan 25 (File image)

Deepika Padukone and Anupriya Goenka talk about Shahid Kapoor. While it is cool to see Aditi Rao Hydari help Deepika, they end up talking about Ranveer's obsession with the latter. Can Deepika's speech about womanhood and dignity be the saving grace?

Well, it is quite shocking that Bollywood continues to have female characters that won't talk to each other in the movies. But again, the reliability of the Bechdel Test can be questioned when it comes to movies like Raazi. Well, all we want in the end is that Bollywood should write better stuff for women.

est?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2019 09:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).