Does Kannada cinema pass the Bechdel test?

ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗ ಬೆಕ್ ಡೆಲ್ ಟೆಸ್ಟ್ ಅನ್ನು ಪಾಸ್ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆಯೇ?

Every year we take the top 5 box-office Kannada releases and check them against the Bechdel test: do at least two named women talk to each other about something other than a man? Here's how 25 films from 2020–2024 stack up.

1 of 25 films pass.

At a glance ಒಂದೇ ನೋಟದಲ್ಲಿ

20240/5 20230/5 20221/5 20210/5 20200/5

Pass Likely Fail

2024

Max

Fail (likely)

Directed by Vijay Karthikeyaa

Female characters: Priya (Samyuktha), Lakshmi (supporting)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Priya: Journalist (reported); Lakshmi: Homemaker
Do they talk?: Unclear
Not about a man?: Unclear

Action-centric, focus on male lead; little info on female-female interaction.

UI

Fail

Directed by Upendra

Female characters: Maya (Reeshma Nanaiah), Dr. Anjali (supporting)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Maya: Student; Dr. Anjali: Doctor
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Dystopian sci-fi, main female roles revolve around male protagonist.

Bagheera

Fail (likely)

Directed by Dr. Suri

Female characters: Priya (Rukmini Vasanth), Anu (supporting)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Priya: Advocate (reported); Anu: Student
Do they talk?: Unclear
Not about a man?: Unclear

Thriller; female characters exist but interactions are limited.

Bheema

Fail

Directed by Duniya Vijay

Female characters: Lakshmi (Ashika Ranganath), Radha (supporting)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Lakshmi: School Teacher (reported); Radha: Homemaker
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Action drama, focus on male protagonist; little evidence of Bechdel-passing scenes.

Martin

Fail

Directed by A.P. Arjun

Female characters: Sneha (Vaibhavi Shandilya), Priya (Anveshi Jain)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Sneha: Journalist; Priya: Singer
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

High-octane action, female roles secondary to male lead, no significant interaction.

2023

Kaatera

Fail

Directed by Tarun Sudhir

Female characters: Prabhavathi (Shruthi), Other supporting female roles
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Prabhavathi: Social activist; Supporting: Homemaker/others
Do they talk?: Unclear/Rarely
Not about a man?: Unlikely

Focus is on male lead and farmer issues; female interactions are minimal.

Kranti

Fail

Directed by V. Harikrishna

Female characters: Anjali (Rachita Ram), Saroja (Sumalatha)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Anjali: Teacher; Saroja: School Principal
Do they talk?: Yes (briefly)
Not about a man?: No (mainly about male lead/schools)

Interactions are about the protagonist or school issues led by male character.

Kabzaa

Fail

Directed by R. Chandru

Female characters: Madhumati (Shriya Saran), Veer Bahaddur's wife (Sudha)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Madhumati: Princess; Sudha: Homemaker
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Female characters rarely interact; focus is on underworld/male leads.

Ghost

Fail

Directed by M. G. Srinivas

Female characters: Priya (Jayaram's daughter), Other supporting female roles
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Priya: Student (possibly); Supporting: Unclear
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Action thriller with limited female roles and little interaction between women.

Sapta Sagaradaache Ello: Side A

Fail

Directed by Hemanth M. Rao

Female characters: Priya (Rukmini Vasanth), Surabhi (Chaithra J. Achar)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Priya: Working professional; Surabhi: Working professional
Do they talk?: Yes (briefly)
Not about a man?: No (mainly about male lead/relationships)

Conversations are centered on the male protagonist and relationships.

2022

KGF: Chapter 2

Fail

Directed by Prashanth Neel

Female characters: Reena Desai (Srinidhi Shetty), Ramika Sen (Raveena Tandon)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: None (love interest/wife); Prime Minister of India
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

No significant interaction between the two women.

Kantara

Fail

Directed by Rishab Shetty

Female characters: Leela (Sapthami Gowda), Devakka (Manasi Sudhir)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Forest Guard (Govt. job); Homemaker
Do they talk?: Unclear/Rarely
Not about a man?: Unlikely

Leela and Devakka rarely interact, and not about non-male topics.

Vikrant Rona

Fail

Directed by Anup Bhandari

Female characters: Sanju Gambhira (Neetha Ashok), Gadang Rakkamma (Jacqueline Fernandez)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: School Teacher; Bar Dancer/Performer
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

No meaningful interaction between female characters.

777 Charlie

Fail

Directed by Kiranraj K

Female characters: Devika (Sangeetha Sringeri), Dr. Ashwini (cameo)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Animal Welfare Activist; Medical Doctor (vet, cameo)
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

No interaction between the two female characters.

Vedha

Pass (likely)

Directed by A. Harsha

Female characters: Pushpa (Ganavi Laxman), Inspector Ramaa (Veena Ponnappa)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Survivor/Avenger (no fixed job); Police Inspector
Do they talk?: Yes
Not about a man?: Sometimes

Multiple named women with jobs; some conversations not about men.

2021

Roberrt

Fail

Directed by Tharun Sudhir

Female characters: Amrutha (Asha Bhat), Tharakeshwari (Sonal Monteiro)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Amrutha: Restaurant Owner; Tharakeshwari: Student
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Main focus is on male lead; female characters rarely interact.

Pogaru

Fail

Directed by Nanda Kishore

Female characters: Pavithra (Rashmika Mandanna), Chitra (Chikkanna)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Pavithra: Teacher; Chitra: Student
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Female roles are secondary; no significant interaction between them.

Kotigobba 3

Fail

Directed by Shiva Karthik

Female characters: Interpol Officer (Madonna Sebastian), Dr. Priya (Shraddha Das)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Interpol Officer; Doctor
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Both women have jobs but do not interact meaningfully.

Yuvarathnaa

Fail

Directed by Santhosh Ananddram

Female characters: Vandana (Sayyeshaa), Principal (Dhanalakshmi)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Vandana: Lecturer; Principal: School Principal
Do they talk?: Yes (briefly)
Not about a man?: No

Brief interaction, but conversation centers on male protagonist.

Salaga

Fail

Directed by Duniya Vijay

Female characters: Sanjana (Sanjana Anand), Supporting (various)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Sanjana: Journalist; Supporting: Unclear
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Focus on crime and male lead; female-female interaction minimal.

2020

Shivaji Surathkal

Fail

Directed by Akash Srivatsa

Female characters: Janani (Radhika Narayan), Dr. Sharmila (Avinash's wife)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Janani: Forensic Expert; Dr. Sharmila: Doctor
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Both have jobs, but do not interact meaningfully.

Popcorn Monkey Tiger

Fail

Directed by Duniya Suri

Female characters: Girija (Nivedhitha), Vaani (Amrutha Iyengar), Monisha (Monisha Nadgir)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Girija: Bar Dancer; Vaani: Student
Do they talk?: Unclear/Rarely
Not about a man?: Unlikely

Multiple named women, but focus is on male lead; little evidence of Bechdel-passing scenes.

Mayabazar 2016

Fail

Directed by Radhakrishna Reddy

Female characters: Asha (Vasishta Simha), Inspector (Chaitra Rao)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Asha: Homemaker; Inspector: Police
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Female characters do not interact significantly.

Gentleman

Fail

Directed by Jadesh Kumar Hampi

Female characters: Tapaswini (Nimika Ratnakar), Padmavati (Sanchari Vijay's mother)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Tapaswini: Student; Padmavati: Homemaker
Do they talk?: No
Not about a man?: No

Female roles are secondary; no meaningful interaction.

Love Mocktail

Fail

Directed by Darling Krishna

Female characters: Nidhima (Milana Nagaraj), Aditi (Amrutha Iyengar), Rachana (Rachana Inder)
Two named women?: Yes
Jobs: Nidhima: IT Professional; Aditi: Student
Do they talk?: Yes (briefly)
Not about a man?: No (mainly about male protagonist)

Brief interaction, but conversation centers on male lead.