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.

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.

The story and acting is brilliant. Its a slow burn movie but the performances from lead artists keeps you engaged. The songs and background music is good. A faithful remake. Must watch!!

Liked it. A simple heart warming movie.

Bond shown between father and his child is beautiful. Whole starcast was good. Was good to see Pankaj Kapoor and also loved glimpses of Chandigarh 😊

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.