Movie Review : Test
Saravanan ( R Madhavan) and Kumudha (Nayanthara) are a middle class couple, trying for a child via IVF. Saravanan, an MIT Boston grad and gold medallist dreams of making it big with an alternate fuel invention. But with bad luck he is yet to succeed in life and runs a canteen instead.
Arjun ( Siddharth), a renowned India level cricketer is in home town Chennai for an India -Pakistan test match. He is under great stress due to being called out for bad form by the board.
Kumudha who is the daughter of Arjun's first coach, loves cricket and is fan of Arjun and also a teacher in his son Aditya's school and has an affectionate bond with the child.
The worlds of the two couples, Arjun and Padma ( Meera Jasmine) and Saravanan and Kumudha collide one fine day, when Saravanan is beaten up for being unable to pay a huge debt, which he had incurred for his invention, unbeknownst to Kumudha.
Unable to pay the debt nor the IVF fee, Saravanan finds himself in spot. Pushed to the edge, he comes to a decision which impacts the worlds of all these characters.
What happens next?
Debut director Ynot Sashikant has taken an intetesting story idea and expanded on it wonderfully, using cricket as a medium to explore social dynamics, inter personal relationships, marriage and the definition of success in life.
The casting is superb. While Siddharth plays the part of an ace cricketer superbly, getting the body language and expressions just right, as a sportsman, father and family man, Madhavan excels in every frame he appears in, as the failed but hopeful husband, shining especially the pre-climax portions, with a terrific performance showcasing a complex side of his character, hitherto unexplored by filmmakers from a fine performer like him.
Nayanthara gets into the skin of Kumudha, shining in the portions as a loving teacher around kids, longing to be a mother, and a supportive wife who is pushed to the tether of her patience. The pre-climax portions with Madhavan are to watch out for.
Meera Jasmine makes a good comeback with a finely honed emotional act.
The camerawork of Gohil is superb, capturing Chennai in its glory in many a frame. The locations be it the cricket ground, Arjun's sprawling home, the school, the broken bridge scene where Madhavan vents, or the creditor's office, all add to character to the story.
The film slows down in places and could have been crisper, but suspense keeps building and the screenplay keeps you guessing till the end. The dubbing and volume need some looking into, as few words seem either too rapidly enunciated or in low tones so as to be unclear in few places. Despite dealing with serious issues, the way the case is dealt with by the cops could have been better handled.
Overall, Netflix original Test, with its interesting plot, solid performances, well paced screenplay, grand scale, emotions, drama and suspense, makes for an engrossing watch.
Rating 3/5
Cast:
Madhavan, Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine and others
Crew:
Written & Directed by S.Sashikanth
Produced by Chakravarthy Ramachandra & S.Sashikanth
Written by Suman Kumar
DOP : Viraj Sinh Gohil
Editor : T S Suresh
Music : Shakthisree Gopalan
Production Designers : N Madhusudan, Shwetha Sabu Cyril
Costume Designers : Poornima Ramaswamy, Anu Vardhan
Stunts : Dinesh Subbarayan
Sports Director : Dhruv P Panjuani
Sync Sound Recordist & Mixer : Siddharth Sadashiv
Sound Designer : Kunal Rajan
Sound Mix : M R Rajakrishnan
Casting : Sharanya Subramaniam
VFX Supervisor : OK Vijay
VFX : IGENE
Colorist : Ranga
Executive Producer : Muthuramalingam
Makeup : A Sabari Girison
Stills : M S Anandan
Publicity Designer : Gopi Prasannaa
P.R.O. : Nikil MURUKAN
