BOTTOM LINE
A Test of Patience
RATING
1.75/5
PLATFORM
NETFLIX
What Is the Film About?
Arjun, a father to a school-going son Aadi and a cricket star on the wane, grabs a spot in a crucial match against Pakistan amidst much resistance from selectors and the public. His childhood sweetheart Kumudha, who yearns to raise a child, leads a quiet life with Saravanan, an MIT product who struggles to get his career going. When his son goes missing, Arjun needs to choose between cricket and family.
Performances
Siddarth, essaying a sportsman who handles edgy conflicts on and off the field, delivers a nuanced, mature performance truly indicative of his potential as a performer. Yet, time and again, you feel sad that his choices continue to fail his talents. The unusual casting choice to pair him up opposite Meera Jasmine is interesting, though the latter deserved a better-etched part.
Like always, Madhavan’s choice to pick the tougher, hard-to-slot roles works in his favour. While the character arc isn’t particularly appreciable, he brings the grey areas to the fore with utmost conviction. Nayanthara, much like the leading men, grabs a meaty character and, for a long time, is the moral anchor in Saravanan’s life. Kaali Venkat’s presence doesn’t add much value to the result.
Analysis
Test, marking the directorial debut of (popular producer) S Sashikanth (the brain behind Y Not Studios), has an unusual graph for a sports drama. It neither charts the rise/fall of a sportsperson nor is it a redemption story. Cricket only serves as a platform for a tale that significantly deals with a psychological battle between a hero (on the wane) and a zero (who looks to rise from the ashes).
Cricket is the only thing Arjun knows best. He has put his family—including wife Padma and their son Aadi—in the backseat for years to further his career. When his life on the field threatens to fall apart, another crisis looms back home when his son goes missing. The incident has a key link to his longtime friend Kumudha and her debt-ridden husband, Saravanan. There are grey areas all around.
Life isn’t exactly rosy at Kumudha’s household (whose father had coached Arjun in the past) either. Kumudha, a school teacher, is keen on being a parent, even as her husband makes little progress with his ambitious hydro fuel project (due to bureaucratic corruption). While Saravanan feels he hasn’t gotten his due in society yet, Arjun needs to rediscover himself to stay in the limelight.
While the foundation for the story is fresh, it is surprising how Test never capitalises on its potential and the drama just doesn’t add up. Though it does a neat job in setting up its world and the conflicts of the key characters (men and women), it feels like a moral sermon than an engaging film (like watching Rise of The Dragon minus the entertainment). The circumstances that push Saravanan to go rogue are too drastic and exaggerated for comfort.
Although Arjun and Kumudha are no saints, they know how to draw a line, unlike Saravanan (even while pushed to their limits. One feels for Saravanan (despite the flat, mechanical execution) – the wife doesn’t even care for him when a money lender kidnaps him, and repeated failures gradually eat him up and make him question his self-worth. Despite all its efforts to stray away from cliches, it still becomes a good vs evil story.
It’s a shame that Test doesn’t let any of its characters undergo a compelling challenge. Even with the abundance of talent in the lineup, it’s bland and ineffective. Cinematically, the staging/storytelling lacks an X factor. You consistently feel that the film needed something more. Moreover, the second half of Test has a singular flavour and stretches its elastic too far to work as a film.
There’s an interesting phase in the pre-climax segment that contributes to the film’s complexity, where Kumudha nearly subscribes to Saravanan’s questionable ways of reaching the top (though the feeling is fleeting). For the viewer to root for Arjun, the father-son drama had to be stronger. The resolution towards the end is simplistic and obvious. On the whole, the screenplay is too vanilla.
In addition to the emotional graph, the on-field cricketing action is matter-of-factly, failing to lend any measure of curiosity or urgency to the proceedings. Provided Test pulled its strings together and was more in charge of its execution at its key moments, it could’ve heralded a new chapter in the sports genre. Alas, it is another mediocre product, which had potential, but didn’t try hard enough.
Music and Other Departments?
Singer Shaktisree Gopalan’s first album as a music director is a mixed bag. Perhaps the film lacks the moral complexity to provide strong situations to deliver great music, or maybe the story just didn’t inspire her enough. Viraj Singh’s sharp cinematography is one of its strengths. However, one feels the film wasn’t mounted on a scale it deserved to be. The screenplay choices (also involving Suman Kumar besides S Sashikanth) aren’t exactly memorable.
Highlights?
Decent start
Good performances, characters
Unconventional treatment to a sports drama
Drawbacks?
Loses its fizz after a point
Writing lacks punch in the second hour
Convenient resolution, the drama doesn’t soar
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you’re a true blue cricket buff/enjoy sports films
Netflix Test OTT Movie Review by M9
