Test (2025 Film)

''Test'' is a 2025 Indian Tamil-language sports and psychological thriller film directed by S. Sashikanth, who co-wrote the script with Suman Kumar and produced with Chakravarthy Ramachandra under YNOT Studios. The film stars R. Madhavan, Nayanthara, Siddharth and Meera Jasmine, with Kaali Venkat, Nassar and Vinay Varma in supporting roles. It marks Sashikanth's directorial debut and Jasmine's return to Tamil cinema after a 10-year hiatus.

The film was announced in April 2023. Principal photography commenced the same month and continued till January 2024, taking place predominantly in Chennai and Bengaluru. The film features music composed by Shakthisree Gopalan, cinematography handled by Viraj Singh Gohil and editing by T. S. Suresh.

''Test'' had a direct-to-streaming release via Netflix on 4 April 2025. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the lead cast but criticised the screenplay, especially its pacing and predictability. Despite this, it achieved high viewership.

Plot

Arjun Venkataraman, an ageing cricketer, is struggling with poor form and faces the risk of being dropped from the Indian team. Determined to exit cricket on a high note, he sees the upcoming test match as his last chance to prove himself.

Kumudha, a school teacher, is desperate to have a child and plans to undergo IVF treatment. However, her dreams are complicated by financial challenges and her husband's priorities.

Saravanan "Sara" is Kumudha's husband. An MIT-educated scientist, he is secretly working on a hydro-fuel project while pretending to run a canteen. Sara is under immense pressure due to mounting debts and needs to save his project.

As the film progresses, the lives of these three characters intersect during the test match. Arjun battles his inner demons on the cricket field, Kumudha struggles with her maternal aspirations, and Sara faces ethical and financial dilemmas related to his project. Meanwhile, a subplot involving match fixing adds further tension.

Cast

''Adapted from the opening and closing credits''

Production

Development

''Test'' marked the directorial debut of producer S. Sashikanth. Ever since his transition from an architect to film production with Sashikanth establishing the YNOT Studios banner, he wrote the first draft of the script in late-2012 but was put on hold due to his production commitments. In a January 2015 interview with Sudhish Kamath, Sashikanth confirmed that he had plans of making the film. During the COVID-19 lockdown in India, he decided to revisit the script after harbouring his ambitions of becoming a filmmaker. The original script was considered a plot-driven film with the basic idea revolving around a cricketer; however, he decided to get into the psychological study of the characters, inspired from David Fincher's films.

The genesis of the film came from an interview given by Virat Kohli, who stated that his father died when he was 18-years old, yet Kohli still played in the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi. Sashikanth recalled that the interview opened his perspective of what happens when a cricketer enters into the arena, adding "it's something like a superhero story arc that he's willing to sacrifice all those personal bits for something much higher. Those decisions make you the hero or the villain." Exploring narcissistic behaviour as a positive trait, the idea provided him an insight of how sportsperson would think and look at life and looked on how narcissism existed in common people as well. He then wrote the story on how narcissism drives a cricketer and a common man, which was the beginning of character development. Describing the title, Sashikanth said, "Test cricket is not just cricket. It is a test of life and even temperament. The story too happens over five days of a test match".

The film was officially announced on 12 April 2023. Sashikanth co-wrote the story with Suman Kumar, known for writing ''The Family Man''. Shortly after the announcement, Sashikanth revealed the preliminary crew members: cinematographer Viraj Singh Gohil, editor T. S. Suresh, production designers Madhusudan N. and Shweta Sabu Cyril, sports director Dhruv Panjani, action choreographer Dinesh Subbarayan, stylists Poornima Ramaswamy and Anu Vardhan, casting director Sharanya Subramaniam and publicity designer Gopi Prasannaa. Muthuramalingam was appointed as the executive producer of the film by the production house.

Casting

R. Madhavan and Siddharth were cast in the lead roles, having previously worked with Sashikanth on his productions; the film would also mark the actors reuniting after ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' (2004) and ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006). Initially, Madhavan rejected the script as he felt the role would not suit him and suggested other actors instead; he felt Sashikanth, who never worked as an assistant director before, was taking a risk with the film due to its large budget, but eventually accepted the offer after perceiving Sashikanth's vision.

Siddharth underwent a nine-month training in cricket to prepare for his role. His character was inspired by several real cricketers, but he dedicated the role specifically to Rahul Dravid. Nayanthara, who plays Madhavan's pair, accepted the role instantly after a phone call with Sashikanth. He wanted the actress to own her role, and she was able to connect with the role of a woman longing for a child, being a mother herself. Meera Jasmine was paired opposite Siddharth, making a return to Tamil cinema after a 10-year hiatus.

Kaali Venkat was cast in an important role after being present in the first schedule of filming. Subsequently, Nassar, Vinay Varma, Aadukalam Murugadoss, M. J. Shriram and Ajit Koshy appeared in supporting roles; their involvement was confirmed only after their appearances in promotional material. Sashikanth cast 22 cricketers, who played the Ranji Trophy matches, to create authenticity.

Filming

Principal photography commenced on 12 April 2023, the same day as the film's announcement. The film was shot in two phases, taking place in both Chennai and Bengaluru. The locations were chosen in the pre-production phase and had further marked the positions of the camera using the StudioBinder software and also choreographed the movements of the actors.

Since the film's story takes place in the test match, Sashikanth had planned to shoot the cricket sequences at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where the team had to wait nine months for approval from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The team received approval to shoot those sequences ten days before the Indian Premier League owing to pitch changes. Since Sashikanth wanted the match to look authentic, he and Viraj Singh Gohil researched on what worked and what did not in cricket-based films and spoke with cameramen on how real cricket matches were shot. Gohil used broadcast cameras for filming those matches and learnt about specific camera positions on how cricket matches are being filmed. Sashikanth used live sounds for the portions that were not shot in the ground.

By 17 June, Madhavan had completed filming his portions. On 8 January, Nayanthara had completed filming her portions, and Jasmine did so later that month. Principal photography wrapped on 31 January.

Post-production

The post-production process began on early February, shortly after filming wrapped. OK Vijay serves as the visual effects supervisor, and sound design would be handled by Kunal Rajan and M. R. Rajakrishnan whereas Siddharth Sadashiv served as the sync sound recordist.

Music

The film's music is composed by playback singer Shakthisree Gopalan in her debut as music composer. The first single "Arena" was released on 10 March 2025. The second single titled "Hope" was released on 20 March. The album featuring six songs was released under the YNOT Music label on 25 March.

Marketing

The film's teaser trailer was launched on 3 February 2025. On 13 March 2025, cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin released the teaser of Siddharth's character via his social media platforms. Nayanthara and Madhavan's character teasers were released the following days. As a part of promotions, a lenticular billboard that featured two posters were installed at the Marina Beach road in Chennai. The film's trailer was launched on 25 March 2025.

Release

In October 2024, it was reported that the film would have a direct-to-streaming release via Netflix, bypassing theatrical release. This was confirmed in early-February, after Netflix announced their slate of original programming and films for the year, with ''Test'' being one of them. The film premiered on 4 April 2025, with dubbed versions in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu.

While speaking on the direct-to-streaming release, Sashikanth said that he had no negative connotations with this move, adding that a film should find its audience at several means. Sashikanth said he initially planned for a theatrical release, but when he had an opportunity to send the first cut to Netflix, the streaming service's content team saw its viability of being a global product, and it would reach a wider audience upon release, which he saw it a no-brainer and took the decision to release on a streaming service. Monika Shergill, vice-president of content, Netflix India, stated that she felt amazed to see a film that explored characters and their values and ethics, over plot.

Critical reception

Sonal Pandya of ''Times Now'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''Test'' is a lengthy but intriguing thriller focused on a couple backed into the tightest corner ..What the film needed more of, especially in the second half, was the tension of the walls closing in on these individuals. At certain portions, it feels as if they existed in their own bubbles while things descended into chaos outside. ''Test'' doesn't utilise the sports background effectively." Goutham S of ''Pinkvilla'' gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "''Test'' is a commendable attempt at blending drama and thriller within the sports realm. The film, which explores three different struggles, manages to keep us engaged at certain points, though it doesn't quite maintain momentum throughout." Janani K of ''India Today'' gave 2/5 stars and praised the lead cast performances, music, cinematography and editing, saying the film "aims to bring forth the changing stances of a human being during a crisis. While the idea sounds interesting, it hardly translates to the big screen". Latha Srinivasan of ''Hindustan Times'' also praised these aspects and the premise, but said the "story, sadly, doesn't do justice to them". Vishal Menon of '' The Hollywood Reporter India'' said the film "gives us a set of fascinating characters, but deserved better writing".

Hardika Gupta of the ''NDTV'' gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Test ultimately reflects its titular sporting format – lengthy, occasionally rewarding, but lacking the consistent dynamism needed to sustain interest across its duration. Sashikanth's direction shows promise in individual moments, particularly in his approach to scene transitions and visual storytelling, but the overall execution falls short of the ambition evident in the premise." Bhuvanesh Chandar of ''The Hindu'' wrote "Sashikanth's directorial debut is a competent showcase of his abilities as a director. At a time when films largely rely on curveballs and subversions to keep the audiences gripped, ''Test'' refuses to become a T20 and prioritises character over plot." Nandini Ramnath of '' Scroll.in'' wrote, "''Test'' takes its title very seriously. S Sashikanth's Tamil film, co-written with Suman Kumar, piles on the woes for its lead characters and everyone else who has the misfortune of being associated with them". Sudhir Srinivasan of ''Cinema Express'' rated the film 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "''Test'' explores ambition, obsession, and morality—but in its struggle to create emotional intimacy, it leaves us at a distance. This is a film rich in ideas, but curiously hollow in feeling".

Notes

References

External links

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2020s direct-to-video films
2020s Indian films
2020s psychological thriller films
2020s Tamil-language films
2025 directorial debut films
2025 films
2025 sports films
Films about cricket in India
Films produced by S. Sashikanth
Indian direct-to-video films
Indian psychological thriller films
Indian sports films
Netflix original films
Tamil-language Indian films
Tamil-language psychological thriller films
Tamil-language sports films

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