Jersey

A rather common plot about a 30 plus sportsperson trying to re-establish himself/ herself in the sport some years after retirement and facing hurdles/ humiliation/failure. We had a movie " Panga" where the 30 plus kabaddi player Kangana Ranaut with a child to look after, stuggles to make a come back in the national kabaddi team.

In this movie we have an ex Ranji cricketer Shahid Kapoor who has not played for a decade, now 36 and wants to make it to the national cricket team to prove to his young son and himself that he can be successful . He doesn't have the support of his wife ( Mrunal Thakur) who wants him to continue in his secure government job. Shahid Kapoor does a good job as the angry, frustrated and confused cricketer not able to achieve success. An interesting scene is one in which he rides his bike in despair to the railway station, screams out his anger on the railway platform and the noise of a passing train drowns out the noise. Good one that. Shahid continues to retain his " Kabir Singh" persona both in looks and demeanour which works for him. There is a tendency to capitalize on his successful image. What goes against the film is the long running time of 2 hour 50 minutes due to which it drags at many places. At least 30 minutes could easily be edited out. The movie is predictable too in addition to its slow pace. A few scenes are unconvincing like Shahid not able to raise Rs 500 despite having four friends ! (One also has seen the superb Dhoni movie on a similar subject and which had class.) The movie has some warm and touching scenes of father -son bonding with Shahid and his young son. (Ditto for similar scenes of real father- son Pankaj Kapoor and Shahid.) Mrinal Thakur as the wife having differences with husband Shahid has acquitted herself admirably. Pankaj Kapoor as the affectionate coach is impressive as usual.

Even though I have watched the Original Jersey, i know the entire story and I am not a great fan of Cricket.

The entire cast of Jersey (2022) is so fabulous in the movie it was just heartfelt acting and at the end made me emotional.

Kudos to the Shahid, Mrunal and Pankaj Sir.....

Take away a man's passion, watch a living skeleton...

Arjun Talwar, a skilled cricketer, abandons his sport, joins a government job & supports his family. Legal issues snatch his job & he is unemployed.

Arjun Talwar fades away.

The plot depicts how this lost, faded & rusted man comes back. A very quintessential trope, quite regularly used in plots, thus what this film needed to work was its screenplay.

And it worked.

Cricket was a backdrop to this film. What really made the screenplay special was the core chemistry shared between each & every character thus giving an ode to some truly elegant writing.

The film is about the journey of a man's love for his family & himself and all these forms of love are shown effortlessly, motivating the viewer & making him love his vision of life, slightly more.

Additional points: Punjabi dialogues never felt forced from any actor.

Music is thoroughly enjoyable throughout the film.

Acting: The reason why I'm mentioning this aspect under a separate heading is that it stands out as the best part of this film. The beautiful dynamic between a fatherly coach Pankaj Kapoor & Shahid Kapoor (real life son) is beautiful. Also, the father-son chemistry shows how good a father Arjun actually is.

Well, this film really comprises some mainstream Bollywood non-cringeworthy romance, yes, quite a vestigial trope. Such organic chemistry between the leads show how skilled they are as actors & how beautifully they portrayed the ups & downs of a difficult relationship. Mrunal Thakur gave a compelling performance.

Shahid Kapoor. Till date, the man has surprised the audience every single time he came on screen. Haider, Kaminey, Jab We Met, Udta Punjab, Kabir Singh & whatever the film might be, he has managed to bring something new, something unique in every single performance he gave & this is no exception. Every single phase of Arjun was played effortlessly yet attentively. Long way to go, Shahid.

Jersey review. 23.04.22.

After the storm of south Indian masala movies, this one comes as a pure heart from Bollywood. Though, this is also a South Indian movie, because the director of the film is Gowtam Tinnanuri, who had made the same film in Telugu before.

This time it is Shahid Kapoor as Arjun Talwar in the film. After the massive success of Kabir Singh, a class act from him is expected. And he delivers it likewise. Along with superb supportive cast of Pankaj Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur.

Film Jersey is about a cricketer who quits cricket initially but decides to revive his career at the age of 36 for his son's dream and to eventually prove his ability. Although, Shahid is also an underdog for Bollywood. With every film he has to prove himself to the industry. Still no biggies support him, on his film releasing or even on his birthday. But he is playing it with true spirits every time. He delivers a good score and gets sustained.

This film is emotionally rich. After a while, there is a multiplex movie, which can be seen with parents and children. It is a perfect family package in recent times. With eye catching cinematography by Anil Mehta and full of heart music by Sachet-Parampara, this film has a solid look and feel. Songs are fantastic. Kudos to music team and lyricist Shelly. Each song has depth. My favourite from this album is Mayya Mainu. It is pure gold, and thus on the top position in the list of best songs since last December.

Cricket and films are two big things in India. Both has emotions attached with it. This stylish film gives you a complete entertainment. Shahid's character is underdog, who can achieve something big, but nobody is willing to give him a chance. He fights back and prove himself. That is why this story of a normal guy is relatable to one and all. It has a wider reach for sure. Though it is a fact that after seeing never before visuals in recent movies, one should ask more. But one should understand that, this is an emotional film, not a money maker. One should differentiate between the different genres of movies and judge them accordingly.

On the whole, go and watch out Jersey. It will surely give you a good time at cinema with your entire family together.

While on one hand, we wholeheartedly cherish a mother's selfless love and compassion for her child; on the other hand, we often tend to overlook a father's imperishable appetite and all the sacrifices he makes just to fulfill his child's naive wishes. "Jersey" gives acknowledgments to that understated relationship.

This is not only an ordinary sports drama, but it's also a journey of a stubborn and desperate father in his late thirties, who is willing to take the chance again at the sport he once honored and found comfort in, just to be the 'ideal' father he wanted to become, just to be the 'hero' in his son's story. This is an incredible tale that not only portrays a beautiful dynamic between a father and his son with much charm and elegance but it also exemplifies the true value of family and friends that you have in your life and can always count upon.

As far as the performances are concerned; let me clarify that I have not seen the Original Telugu feature with Nani yet, so can't draw any sort of comparisons here but I will tell you this much, Shahid acted his heart out. You can be a Nani sympathizer, or you may have a special place for the original movie in your heart but in no way one could state that Shahid was terrible or was not up to the mark; they will only be lying to themselves.

Shahid does a stupendous job with the role of Arjun Talwar; not only does he bring out the emotional defenselessness in his portrayal when the guy is off the pitch, but he also resonates with genuineness and authenticity whenever his character is on the pitch and playing the game of cricket. As for the supporting cast, Pankaj Kapur stands out the most, again not a surprise given his veteran stature. Mrunal on the other hand does decent, even though she had much room for improvement.

The only major drawback for me was its ending, especially about the portion where the 'revelation' came out in the open, or should I rather say the particular fashion in which the twist was conveyed. To me, neither the place nor the moment in time seemed appropriate. I don't know if the makers made some alterations for this remake or were it all the same for the previous movie as well, but one thing is for certain, I did not like how it ended, there I do happen to have some issues.

So to conclude, is this a perfect film? No, certainly not. Along with all its qualities, it has its fair share of scarcities as well. However, it's got a heart full of emotions and sportsman essence; and if you are somebody who could connect to the same set of sentiments, you'll feel great affection for the film as well as for Arjun Talwar's character as a person. Trust me, every flaw will be forgotten!