Directed by S. Sashikanth, the film Test released in April 2025 saw a formidable cast with R.Madhavan and Siddarth in its lead. For the regular film enthusiasts who hover about aimlessly, this is a gem to find given the plot that grips in between a whodunnit play but in its honest actuality, a new-age philosophical cult-like rambling that reaps open its echo chamber through cinematic clamour.
The mere fact that the director had decided to infuse Jack Kerouac in his writing is not just prodigial, it is indeed a well-awaited quench to the thirst for literature lovers who enjoy slipping into their movie buff alter-ego bath robes. Especially if it is a Wednesday night, when the week feels a bit too stretched. Apart from the writing and Shaktisree Gopalan's impressive debut as a music composer, it is hard to not guard your heart against R. Madhavan's willingness to stand the test of time.
The director's choice of getting R. Madhavan to play Saravanan (Sara) had surely brought a number of the audience, into a complete reminiscing comatose of the actor's illustrious career spanning over two decades. I am convinced that the ordinary Chennai lass today, who has followed him ever since he spoke on the telephone in Alai Payuthey (2001) and grew a nice grub in Irudhi Suttru (2016) can relate to how he never fails to reach into our hidden dim and dark psyche-spark to convey an intellectual process that is sophisticated for the modern-day working class women.
R. Madhavan transformation's as an actor whose versatility expanded throughout the years, from being a computer engineering heartthrob to an earnest Tamil husband, effortlessly captures Chennai city's contemporary essence. It is pretty remarkable and these changes were an amalgamation witnessed in the gap between Vikram Vedha (2017) and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, a biopic on Indian rocket scientist, Nambi Narayanan.
In Pushkar-Gayatri's Vikram Vedha, alongside Vijay Sethupathi – his seamless integration with a neo-noir action thriller genre proved that he is not just a fame gnawing actor or another mass personality sensation in the Tamil cinema industry. His artistry steadily flourishes and in his attempt to work with the cast without robbing them off their shine, shows exemplary ethics both commendable and worthy of admiration.
Drawing similarity from Vikram Vedha, perhaps one of the most entertaining Tamil-cinema crime thriller to date, in terms of pitching two main leads in a stand-off against each other — Test keeps the prominence on its characterisation while staying mild with its themes and plot. Did it succeed in creating nuances? It was at least enough for me to sit through it and I'd like to believe that Shaktisree Gopalan's musical score played a part, as the film did not break into any songs, as per the regular practice when it comes to Indian cinema.
Siddarth (as Arjun) carried his character to its utmost forward and was readily beliveable from the get-go as India's celebrated cricketeer who domestically lacked emotional competence. Arjun's emotional unavailability, and his wife Padma's (played by Meera Jasmine) compatibility were on the same dais as Sara and Kumudha (played by Nayanthara). These pairings were definitely interesting to watch and strangely enough, made cultural-sense for a film that is seemingly western in its narratology.
As for die-hard cricket fans, (since, I am not one) it possible that the film did not tickle their fancy, especially during the scenes where a match was played. Film journalist and critic, Baradwaj Rangan writes, ‘the tension does not translate to the viewer, because you don’t feel Arjun’s desperation. The pacing is off, and the performances don’t come together.’ So on that note, I would have to steer clear off that stanza, respectfully.
However, Bhuvanesh Chandar shares an interesting insight, ‘Throughout the promotions of Test, Sashikanth stressed that the film was inspired by Kohli’s decision to play the 2006 Ranji Trophy match mere hours after his father’s death. Fascinatingly, Sashikanth seems to have laid down this quality as the foundation of most of the characters in this world. They chase after their goals with an unyielding, singularly focused doggedness that questions our very beliefs of what is right and wrong and how it all changes with perspective.’
There's a line in this film that goes, ‘the only people are the mad ones,' a quote by Jack Kerouac that had somewhat resonated with me. I think, it is reasonable to say that there's a cricketeer inside us all, and a Saravanan lurking somewhere beneath the world of dreams or our collective consciousness – waiting to be discovered or at best, forgotten? That's your call I guess, why not find out on a random Wednesday night most likely.
Test is currently streaming on Netflix
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