Star Cast: R Madhavan, Nayanthara, Siddharth
Director: S Sashikanth
Test Movie Review Synopsis:
TEST is the story of three people and how their life changes during a five-day Test match. Arjun (Siddharth) is a top Indian cricket player but since the last few matches, he’s not in his best form. The Board wants to drop him from the upcoming Test Match between India and Pakistan, which will be held in Arjun’s hometown, Chennai. There’s also pressure on him to retire. Arjun somehow manages to convince the Board to let him play the Test Match. But there are murmurs that this could be the last time he will be playing ever. Arjun’s son Adi (Lirish Rahav) is an aspiring cricketer and his favourite teacher in school is Kumudha (Nayanthara). Kumudha’s deceased father was Arjun’s coach during his struggling days. Hence, she has extra affection for Arjun. Her hubby Saravanan (R Madhavan) wants government approval to create environment-friendly hydrofuel. But he’ll have to bribe to get his file sanctioned. He’s also in debt as he has sold a canteen, which he used to run and from where he used to earn a living. Kumudha is not aware of this major development. She’s going through her own battles. She wants to be a mother and has registered at an IVF clinic. She needs to pay Rs. 5 lakhs for the procedure; she assumes that Saravanan has the said amount but he doesn’t. Meanwhile, a betting syndicate has been activated in the city and they want Arjun to play as per their wishes. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Test Movie Story Review:
Suman Kumar and S Sashikanth have written a story that must have sounded interesting at the conception stage. But Suman Kumar and S Sashikanth’s screenplay fails to involve the viewers completely. The goings-on are very superficial and hence, one doesn’t root for the characters. Suman Kumar and S Sashikanth’s dialogues are normal.
S Sashikanth’s direction is okay and the execution suffers as the writing is below par. On the positive side, he extracts fine performances. Moreover, to get R Madhavan, Nayanthara and Siddharth in one film itself is an achievement and it adds to the film’s appeal. A few developments are unexpected and it makes for a nice watch. The final scene is clapworthy.
On the flipside, a few scenes appear disjointed. Some of the character’s actions seem unconvincing and even childish in some scenes. A helpless mother falls on the floor out of shock and exertion. The husband sees her fainting and he simply walks off; she lies there until she finally comes back to her senses. Such moments lead to unintentional laughter. There’s a major shift in the personality of a character at mid-point. It does arrest attention but at the same time, it becomes difficult to digest. The character of Kutty (Aadukalam Murugadoss) and his association with Saravanan also is not convincing. The way two secondary but crucial characters get eliminated before the audience can even realize it shows that the execution is just not right.
Test Movie Review Performances:
R Madhavan emerges as the best actor of the lot. Despite his character’s questionable actions in the second half, one can’t deny that he has delivered a power-packed performance. Nayanthara looks stunning and also delivers a powerful performance. Siddharth underplays his part aptly. Lirish Rahav essays a difficult part with panache. Aadukalam Murugadoss is strictly okay while Meera Jasmine (Padma; Arjun’s wife) and Kaalivenkat (Bharani) lend able support. Vinay Varma (Dharmesh), Denver Anthony Nicholas (Dimello) and Shyam Kumar (Isaac Aghilan; cop) are passable. Nasser (ICF member Ramasamy) is wasted; one wonders why an actor of his calibre was asked to play such an inconsequential role.
Test movie music and other technical aspects:
Shakthishree Gopalan’s music is forgettable. But Shakthishree Gopalan’s background score is exhilarating.
Viraj Singh Gohil’s cinematography is satisfactory. Poornima Ramaswamy’s costumes are realistic; Anu Vardhan’s costumes for Nayanthara are beautiful. Igene’s VFX is fine and special mention should go to Eunoians Studios’ opening title sequence animation; it’s quite classy. Madhusudan N and Shweta Sabu Cyril’s production design is appealing. T S Suresh’s editing is decent but overall, the film could have been shorter.
Test Movie Review Conclusion:
Overall, TEST relies heavily on its casting and the presence of three talented performers — R Madhavan, Nayanthara and Siddharth. However, the film fails to captivate due to a weak script and subpar storytelling.