Test movie review: Falls short of hitting the ball out of the park

The new Netflix release Test directed by S Sashikanth has an intriguing concept with loads of potential Despite a strong star cast delivering stellar performances the film falls short of truly hitting the ball out of the parkPlotThe story centers around three primary characters mdash Arjun Siddharth Nayanthara Kumudha and Saravanan R Madhavan After a series of outofform games star cricketer Arjun is forced to announce his retirement But having built his entire life around cricket Arjun sees this as an insult to his hard work and lifersquos purpose He fights for one last chance to play in the upcoming India vs Pakistan test match mdash a match that could be his final game before stepping away from the sportKumudha is his schoolmate and the teacher of his son Aditya She is clinging to her last hope of becoming a mother through IVF Saravanan Kumudharsquos husband runs a small canteen but is also a double doctorate scientist He dreams of working on hydrogen fuel technology to contribute positively to societyAn interesting premiseThe first half takes its time building the world around these primary characters and establishing their interrelationships The context sets the tone for their future decisions as life presents each of them with difficult choices However the narrative in this portion does take a while to reach the crux and some crisp editing could have made it tighter and more engagingTo their credit writers Suman and S Sashikanth have built Test around an interesting theme The film is about choices mdash and the impact those choices have on onersquos life Its true strength lies in its characters They are thoughtfully developed in the first half and this depth is crucial in helping the audience understand and connect with the decisions they later make At every important juncture in life we are often faced with two paths What we choose sets the tone for everything that follows mdash and the film explores these pivotal crossroads with emotional honestyArjun must make a difficult choice between his son and his country Kumudha must choose between supporting her husband and pursuing her dream of becoming a mother and Saravanan must decide whether to prove himself to the society that once labeled him a failure by chasing his dreams or settle for a lowrisk modest livelihoodPerformancesTalking about performances Nayanthara as Kumudha delivers a restrained yet powerful portrayal of a determined working woman Her sole focus is to become a mother mdash and nothing not even her husbandrsquos financial downfall can deter her In one scene even as her husband is dragged away by pawnbrokers she remains fixated on gathering the money required for her IVF treatment Even when she acts out of character the audience is able to justify her actions mdash thanks to the detailed worldbuilding in the first halfSiddharth as Arjun plays a largely onedimensional character who has devoted his entire life to cricket As he is pressured into retirement for the first time he begins to reflect on the personal life he has long neglected Even as life brings him to a critical crossroads he tries his best to bat for his family but ends up being a soldier for the countryR Madhavan played a massive role in carrying the second half on his shoulders The experienced actor effortlessly transitions from a man who dotes on his wife and dreams of doing better for society to someone who after being repeatedly let down by that very society and engaging in an intense war of words with his wife lets go of his moral compass and does what needs to be done to achieve his dream and become a success story His newfound confidence and lack of moral hesitation begin to scare those around him mdash the very people who had supported him all alongMalayalam film actress Meera Jasmine plays Siddharths devoted wife in the film The talented actress however has limited screen time as the wife of a star playerPoornima Ramaswamy and Anu Vardhan have done a fantastic job with the costumes mdash especially with Nayantharas distinct saree looks which are bound to set a trend R Madhavanrsquos evolving costume choices also donrsquot go unnoticed reflecting the transformation of his characterS Sashikanthrsquos directorial debut certainly highlights his potential as a filmmaker with distinct scene transitions a strong focus on character development and the smart use of music to elevate the narrativeTo sum upSince the film is all about choices watching this 2hour30minute feature should be your own Safe to say the repercussions of watching mdash or skipping mdash it wonrsquot be nearly as harsh as what the characters endure in the film