Over the years, Bollywood has witnessed changes in the roles and representation of women. In past few years, women- centric and feminist films have taken the box office over and have managed to garner the attention of the audience as well as the industry.Despite this, it does not change the fact that female representation still remains skewed in Bollywood.For this, we have Bechdel test.
Representation does not mean women-centric and feminist film or no male protagonists but it seeks appropriate screen time for the female characters. So to check the appropriate female representation in our Bollywood films, we have the Bechdel test. It evaluates the female representation on the basis of these three criteria: Are there two named female characters? Do they talk to each other? Do they talk to each other about something other than a male ‘love’ interest?
Is it a good parameter?
Despite the bar being set so low, it’s quite extraordinary to see very few films pass the test and many Oscar-nominated to fairly progressive fail to make the cut. It does not even bothers about a film being women-centric or feminist in nature, rather it just checks whether there’s enough screen space allotted to the female characters irrespective of the nature and treatment of the film. It is important to understand that it is not a perfect feminism test rather it’s a litmus test to demonstrate the lack of screen space allotted to the female characters. It is not formulated to discern between feminist and non feminist films. It does not elaborate on the female relationships and interaction beyond the test. It aims to illustrate the problem of lack of female representation in the industry as well as the society. While it may seem like a bare minimum easy test but the results might surprise you.
‘Women-centric’ movies fail too
Despite being marketed as women-centric movies, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Highway, Revolver Rani, and Bobby Jasoos are a few films which do not pass the Bechdel test. The Bechdel test is not a perfect algorithm to determine the screen space. It is not a solution to the issue but it is formulated to merely point out the issue. There are a lot of films that do not pass but may still dispel gender stereotypes beyond the boundaries of conventional Bollywood storylines. Similarly, there are some films that pass but merely on the basis of technicality, through a fleeting, perhaps inconsequential, exchange between two women. Despite being the most well-known metric to measure the female screen presence, Bechdel test is not the ultimate test to determine inclusivity of characters in films. The Bechdel test comprehends the importance of minimum femalerepresentation in cinema and it also reflects the notions of gender disparity in Bollywood as well as society.
