‘Test’ review: Missed chances

S. Sashikanth, a former architect turned film producer, takes on the role of co-writer and director of Test (Netflix), a drama that unfolds against the backdrop of cricket, unrealised dreams, sacrifice, and obsessions. The resolve and ethics of three principal characters are tested to the limit in this unimaginatively directed film, co-written by Suman Kumar (The Family Man, Farzi). Test shifts from a sports drama to a thriller, verging on horror, particularly with R. Madhavan’s character’s transformation.

Much of the action unfolds in the build-up to a cricket match between India and Pakistan, set in Chennai. A fading cricketer is desperate for a swansong. Little does he know that out on the pitch during this critical test match, he will face far more harrowing challenges. Arjun’s world intersects with that of Kumudha, a school teacher obsessed with motherhood, who is married to Saravanan, a struggling scientist clinging to his passion project.

Saravanan, or Sara (R. Madhavan), is a scientist who pivots from being an affectionate husband to a devious kidnapper in a heartbeat, depending on the situation. He is identified as a scientist with a degree from MIT—the institution in Boston, not Manipal, as the script explicitly clarifies in a dialogue exchange, lest the audience assumes otherwise. Sara has an ambitious project for which he is seeking a government grant, even at the risk of losing his existing business, his wife’s trust, and her ancestral home.

Sara harbours lofty ambitions of becoming the next Steve Jobs. He is hiding the truth about a failed and fraudulent canteen business and mounting debt. His wife, Kumudha, remains unaware of his schemes. Kumudha (Nayanthara) is desperate to become a mother and obsessed with getting pregnant. By day, she works as a school teacher. Though she may have once been well-off as the daughter of a cricket coach, her marriage to the unreliable, unpredictable Sara has reduced her to scrimping and saving for IVF treatment. Yet, despite financial struggles, she still maintains an enviable collection of handloom sarees with coordinated fabric handbags.

Kumudha has an unsettling maternal attachment to Aditya (Adi), a student at her school, whose father, Arjun (Siddharth), is a fading cricketer with shades of Virat Kohli—he wears glasses off the field and has a wife who was once an actress. Arjun constantly stares into the distance, lost in thoughts about his career, life, and looming crisis.

Before India plays Pakistan in a decisive final test match in Chennai, everything comes to a head—Sara desperately tries to push his project through, Arjun fights to prolong his career, and Kumudha finds herself caught in between, while chasing her medical appointment. Each of them is undergoing a test of their own.

Director S. Sashikanth employs long shots of fishing boats and coastlines, extended pauses, a brooding lead actor, and another character who quotes Jack Kerouac to set the mood. With cinematographer Viraj Gohil’s help, Sashikanth presents a Chennai that is charming, uncluttered, and even likable—so much so that Kumudha manages to find an autorickshaw twice, something anyone familiar with the city knows is nearly impossible. However, the film suffers from a lack of movement in its scenes, an over-reliance on framing and lensing, and three lead actors largely left to their own devices.

Siddharth plays Arjun in an overly brooding manner, with his hands perpetually in his pockets, eyes fixed on the distant horizon. He looks the part, but his depiction of the conflicted cricketer feels stiff. He rarely makes eye contact with co-stars, barely gesticulates, and hardly conveys emotions—until he steps onto the pitch.

Nayanthara has her moments—at times graceful, gentle, and likable, but her performance suffers due to the lack of strong direction and a well-rounded character arc. Madhavan holds the film together for a while, but his performance veers into inexplicable overacting—raging and crying as he gains and loses control of situations with remarkable clumsiness. Still, the scenes between Madhavan and Nayanthara inject some much-needed soul into an otherwise flailing drama.

Supporting characters add little value to the proceedings—Meera Jasmine as Arjun’s suffering wife, Vinay Varma as a bookie, and Nassar, who appears in just one scene as a cricket official. The police inspector and his team are so ineffective that they could easily have been written out of the script entirely. Arjun’s ailing father, who is constantly being rushed to the hospital, does little except add to Arjun’s stress as his poor form, selection for the crucial match, and rumours of retirement become matters of national discussion.

The cricket action, mercifully, is decent and brief. Thankfully, the Pakistani players are not caricatures or depicted as rogues. However, unnecessary songs add to the film’s length without contributing to the story. Dialogue repetition hampers the pacing, failing to advance either the plot or character development. An overlong two-and-a-half-hour runtime tests the audience’s patience. While Nayanthara and Madhavan offer some engaging moments, the film ultimately delivers a disappointing result.

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