With
a
better
script,
Test
could
have
been
a
compelling
relationship
drama.
Instead,
it
only
tests
your
patience,
complains
Mayur
Sanap.
In
the
opening
sequence
of
Test,
we
see
an
out-of-form
cricketer
grappling
with
two
choices:
To
continue
with
the
only
sport
he
loves
or
give
it
up.
The
cricketer
is
called
Arjun
and
is
played
by
Siddharth.
But
this
is
not
his
story
alone.
There’s
Kumudha
played
by
Nayanthara.
She
is
a
teacher
who
wants
to
become
a
mother.
She
is
married
to
Saravanan,
played
by
R
Madhavan,
a
struggling
scientist
on
the
lookout
for
funds
for
his
ambitious
environmental
project.
Kumudha
and
Saravanan
are
trying
to
conceive
a
child
via
IVF
while
balancing
their
financial
needs.
Kumudha
meets
Arjun
at
her
school
where
his
son
studies.
They
happened
to
be
childhood
friends,
who
grew
distant
over
time.
As
the
story
progresses,
these
three
lives
intertwine
and
each
one
faces
a
difficult
choice.
Test
cricket
is
a
metaphor
for
life
here
and
also
a
leitmotif
in
the
story.
Debutant
director
S
Sashikanth,
who
has
also
written
the
story
with
Suman
Kumar,
aims
for
fascinating
character
studies
of
choices
and
consequences
but
the
writing
is
so
inert
and
lacking
any
complex
touches
that
you
barely
stay
invested.
This
is
further
hurt
by
a
sudden
plot
spin,
much
like
Shakun
Batra’s
misfire
Gehraiyaan,
that
mutates
the
story
into
something
else
entirely.
When
you
say
‘I
didn’t
see
that
coming’,
you
obviously
want
to
be
amazed
by
the
plot
twist.
But
here,
you
are
just
amused
by
glossy
soap
opera-like
appeal.
The
star
cast
doesn’t
bring
any
respite
either,
as
all
three
lead
performances
feel
stilted
because
of
their
half-done
characters.
You
wonder
what
made
Kumudha
choose
Saravanan
even
though
the
story
briefly
notes
that
her
father
initially
opposed
their
relationship.
The
Kumudha-Arjun
track
also
feels
contrived,
without
any
proper
arc
to
their
characters.
There’s
barely
any
focus
on
Arjun’s
wife
Padma,
played
by
Meera
Jasmine,
whose
emotional
outburst
feels
unconvincing.
With
a
better
script,
Test
could
have
been
a
compelling
relationship
drama.
Instead,
it
is
an
empty
vessel
about
a
moral
conundrum
that
only
tests
your
patience.
Test
streams
on
Netflix.
Test
Review
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