Test

No major spoilers - just a few thoughts on setup and structure.

I watched TEST on Netflix and found it underwhelming. "Meh" is probably the best way to put it.

I'm generally not a fan of films where money is the primary driver, unless the story is truly compelling. Movies like Ocean's 11 and Soodhu Kavvum didn't work for me. I prefer narratives like Blood Diamond or Catch Me If You Can, where character depth leads the way.

In TEST, cricket is central to the story, not just a side element. But even with that, the movie leans too heavily on the assumption that cricket alone will keep viewers engaged. This reminded me of The G. O. A. T., where cricket was thrown in randomly without adding value. In contrast, Lagaan succeeded because cricket supported a well-crafted story.

I watched the movie for Nayanthara, one of my favorites, but the plot didn't add up. A Boston MIT graduate running a canteen? That's how the film starts, logically unconvincing, not a spoiler. The pacing is slow, and the two parallel storylines take too long to intersect, which made me skip ahead at times.

Surprisingly, Siddharth, whom I usually find hard to tolerate, was actually okay in this role.

A few heartfelt conversations stood out, particularly where characters logically justify their actions. But those moments were too few to carry the film.

In the end, despite strong names like Madhavan and Nayanthara, TEST didn't quite pass for me.

Wow. Just wow. It's truly a marvel how a film can assemble such a powerhouse cast-Nayantara, Siddharth, Madhavan-and still manage to produce something that feels like it was written during a power outage, possibly under the influence of... creative herbs. One has to genuinely applaud the person who pitched this script to these seasoned actors. That level of salesmanship? Unmatched. We're talking next-level persuasion-someone get this individual into international diplomacy immediately.

The script itself is a masterclass in monotony. It's almost impressive how consistently dull and uninspired it is. The Netflix India team must have a new approval strategy: spin a wheel, close your eyes, and greenlight whatever it lands on. Risky? Yes. Effective? Absolutely not.

As for the director and writer-daily soaps might be too ambitious. But hey, there's always the back pages of a local flyer or TikTok skits. Start small, dream big.

Gave it 3 stars though. Not for the movie-heavens, no-but as a small token of sympathy for the cast and crew who clearly signed up for something else entirely.

Anwar Says: What a waste of a top star cast by the director S. Shashikath , who played with the expectations of audiences. Netflix viewers were eagerly waiting for this movie and expecting an engaging one, but the slow pace and timid writing made it a quite mediocre.

The plot has so much to deliver and the best of Kollywood were cast and they tried to give their best but Shashikath Saheb was adamant to present it in a snail's pace and in spite of Maddy's large than screen presence in a grey character and reasonably appreciable performance by Nayanthara , it failed to click. Sidharth also kept on yelling or taking on phone throughout. Meera has nothing much to do except in one scene when she overpowered Sidharth.

On the whole, an excellent plot with terrific cast has been killed by director-editor duo.

#netflix #anwarsays #matchfixing #cricketlife #hydrofuel #overambitious #rmadhavan #nayanthara #sshashikath #weakdirection.

F you've ever wondered what it's like to have your brain slowly dissolve into a pool of lukewarm oatmeal, TEST 2025 is your chance. I don't know what test they were running, but I failed-mostly because I sat through this cinematic car crash until the credits rolled, hoping for literally anything to happen. Spoiler: nothing did.

The plot, if you can call it that, unfolds like someone dropped the script into a paper shredder, glued it back together at random, and filmed it in a basement lit by a single flickering LED. The acting? Imagine if a high school drama class was asked to improvise a sci-fi thriller during a fire drill. Every line delivery was so wooden, termites would've had a feast.

The effects were so cheap they made 1990s PowerPoint transitions look like Avatar. The villain wore what I can only assume was a repurposed Halloween costume, and the climactic battle involved more awkward grunting than an amateur wrestling match at a retirement home.

By the end, I wasn't sure if I had watched a movie or just hallucinated the worst episode of Black Mirror ever made. Watching paint dry would've been more emotionally fulfilling-and probably had better pacing.

Verdict: If you value your time, your brain cells, and your will to live, avoid TEST 2025 like it's radioactive. Which, coincidentally, might be the plot of the inevitable sequel.

Test arrives with a promising cast and an intriguing premise centered around cricket, but unfortunately, it stumbles in execution. While the actors give solid performances, they're let down by a disjointed narrative and lackluster writing.

Sidharth's character, portraying a cricketer, feels like the weakest link. Rather than driving the story forward, his role feels bland and underwritten, lacking the emotional depth or arc needed to engage the audience. What's most frustrating is how the film teases cricket as a major theme, yet barely touches it until well into the second half, making the first hour feel like a slog.

The story itself is a confusing jumble, with scenes and subplots that don't seem to connect meaningfully. Dialogues are flat and uninspired, doing little to elevate the already muddled storytelling. Despite the potential, Test fails to capitalize on either its cast or its central theme, ending up as a movie that's more forgettable than impactful. Great cast, wasted potential. If you're a cricket fan, you'll be waiting too long for too little.