JERSEY
Story: Arjun (Nani) is a 36 year old, ex-Ranji best batsman whose career fails to
take off. But what happens when he decides to make it to the Indian cricket team
despite his age? Can Nani get selected for INDIAN team.
Review: To call Jersey just the story of an ex-cricketer Arjun (Nani) who fights
conventions to get selected in the Indian cricket team is a grave injustice to the film,
even if that’s how it sums itself up. It is also the story of the love of his life Sarah
(Shraddha Srinath), who struggles to stay in love with the man he has become. It’s
the story of assistant coach Murthy (Sathyaraj) who sticks by an orphan through
thick and thin, even at his most irrational best, in hope that he will be able to aid him
in achieving his dream someday. But, most importantly, it’s the story of a father
who’s so enamoured with his son Nani (Ronit Kamra) that he would do anything to
not stoop low in his eyes and get him the birthday gift he always wanted.
Despite the multiple threads and three different time frames that connect to Arjun,
Gowtam Tinnanuri does a stupendous job of not tangling them all up into a mess.
Arjun is an ex-Ranji player, the best right hand batsman of his time and a cocky man
who’s unfortunately soon grounded by reality. Sarah is the love of his life who
marries him against her father’s wishes and now struggles to stay in love with the
shell he is. The once in love couple now constantly seem at warring ends, but the ray
of brightness in their life is their son Nani (Ronit Kamra), whose brings in a refreshing
innocence to an otherwise hefty story. And then there’s assistant coach Murthy who
pushes Arjun to maximise his potential, even when the latter refuses to.
Jersey is a beautifully told tale which sees Nani delivering his career’s best
performance with ease. If he’s good as the cocky batsman who knows he’s talented,
he’s doubly good as the man who’s constantly beaten by life but refuses to give up.
The actor trained and practiced cricket while shooting for the film and it shows in the
scenes in which he picks up cricketers’ body language with ease. A while into the film,
Nani simply ceases to exist and it is only cricketer Arjun you see, someone who’s as
comfortable on the field as he is on the couch in his living room. The realisation of
how well he performed especially comes through in key scenes which require him to
emote without speaking a word.
While Nani also shines through in scenes that require him to play cricket, the scenes
between him and his son are the ones that steal your heart. Ronit Kamra nails his
performance as the seven year old son who sees his father as nothing less than a
superhero. The scenes between them don't just radiate love, but also an understated
humour that keeps the film from being too serious. Shraddha Srinath makes an
impressive Telugu debut, as a woman who’s head-over-heels in love with her
husband, but is still not someone who will agree to put up with his carelessness.
Sathyaraj breezes through his role as the constant backbone Arjun need s.
While Gowtam Tinnanuri really takes the cake in this one, with his stupendous
screenplay and narration, Sanu Varghese’s cinematography and Anirudh
Ravichander’s music do their bit to simply pour life into the film. Naveen Nooli too
does a good job with the editing, with the film, despite its long runtime and laggy
bits, not ending up seeming like a cricket documentary.
Watch this one this weekend if you’re an ardent fan of cricket, for you will sit on the
edge of your seat during the sporting scenes. Watch this one for Nani and the rest of
the cast, who will make you fall in love with their characters by the time the end
credits roll. But especially watch this one for Gowtam Tinnanuri, for it’s not every
day that a director manages to pull off a sports drama like this with ease. Jersey will
make you laugh, cry and cheer out loud.
Director:- GOWTHAM THINNANURI
Music Director:- ANIRUDH
Hero :- NANI
Heroin :- SHRADDHA SRINATH
Director Of Photography:- SANU VARGHESE
My rating for this movie would be 4.5/5
