Movie: Test
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Y Not Studios
Cast: Siddharth, Madhavan, Nayanthara, Meera Jasmine, and others
Written by: Suman Kumar
Music: Shakthisree Gopalan
DOP: Viraj Sinh Gohil
Editor: Koti
Art director: T S Suresh
Producers: Chakravarthy Ramachandra, S Sashikanth
Written and Directed by: S Sashikanth
Release Date: April 04, 2025
Platform: Netflix
With popular stars like Siddharth, Madhavan, and Nayanthara, the Netflix film Test premiered today.
Let’s explore what it has to offer.
Story:
Arjun (Siddharth), a once-celebrated cricketer, is now struggling with poor form, and the team is pressuring him to announce his retirement. He lives with his wife, Padma (Meera Jasmine), and their son, who also plays cricket at school.
Frustrated by the mounting pressure, Arjun decides to retire from the game just two days before a high-stakes India vs. Pakistan match in Chennai. However, the team urges him to play this one last match.
Meanwhile, Saravanan (Madhavan), a scientist awaiting government funding for his hydro-fuel project, faces mounting personal stress. His wife, Kumudha (Nayanthara), is desperate to have a child, especially after a previous miscarriage. Doctors have warned that her chances of conceiving will decline if they delay any further.
Adding to Saravanan's troubles is a loan shark who had lent him â¹50 lakhs. With the big cricket match looming, the lender pressures Saravanan to repay the amount immediately, planning to profit massively from betting on the game.
Caught between financial strain and personal turmoil, Saravanan makes a life-altering decision — one that affects not only his future but also the lives of Arjun and everyone connected to them.
Artistes’ Performances:
Madhavan delivers a brilliant performance, initially portraying a struggling scientist and later revealing his character’s darker side. He convincingly conveys a range of emotions as his character undergoes a significant arc.
Nayanthara starts off on a relatively ordinary note but shines in the emotional sequences toward the end.
Siddharth appears stiff and expressionless for much of the film, but he leaves a strong impression in the final moments. Meera Jasmine is adequate in her role.
Technical Excellence:
Apart from the well-shot cricket sequences, the film lacks any standout work from the cinematographer. The music is also quite unremarkable, and the overall pacing of the film is slow.
Highlights:
Some sequences
Madhavan’s performance
Drawback:
Lack of gripping screenplay
Repetitive sequences
Overstretched runtime
Analysis
Test revolves around a high-stakes cricket match between India and Pakistan, while also metaphorically placing its three protagonists through personal tests of morality and decision-making. In that sense, the title fits well. However, the film also ends up testing the audience’s patience due to its overstretched runtime, sluggish narrative, and repetitive scenes.
The film opens with Siddharth’s character, a cricketer facing pressure from the team management due to his poor form. The narrative then shifts to Nayanthara and Madhavan’s storyline, centered around their struggles with starting a family.
The film keeps alternating between Siddharth’s story and that of Nayanthara-Madhavan until their lives intersect through a significant incident.
However, nearly the first hour is spent exploring their individual problems with minimal dramatic impact. The scenes between Siddharth and Nayanthara, in particular, feel stretched and lack momentum. It’s only when Madhavan’s character takes a darker turn that the film starts to gain traction.
To be frank, the movie works only in its middle portion. Both the beginning and the ending lack pace and energy, making it feel tedious.
While the concept of testing the three central characters — Siddharth, Nayanthara, and Madhavan — with moral dilemmas related to family is strong, the screenplay needed tighter writing and a brisker pace. A more engaging treatment could have elevated the emotional and narrative weight of the story.
In the end, Test has a decent premise, but its execution feels like a real “test” for viewers. In an era where audiences are used to the T20 pace of storytelling, director Sashikanth opts to play a slow-paced “test match,” which may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Bottom-line: Slow Game