Jersey (2019 film)

In 2019 at New York City, A young man buys a book called Jersey from a bookstall but gives it away to a woman who came in to buy the book. When the woman asks for the reason why he gave her the book, the man replies that the book is on the life of his father, Arjun.

In 1986 at Hyderabad, Arjun is an immensely talented Ranji player who is in love with Sarah. Arjun quits cricket when he is repeatedly gets rejected to play in the Indian team, due to selection politics. He is given a government job under the sports quota but loses it when he is accused of bribery.

10 years later in 1996, the 36-year old Arjun is jobless and always scolded by his wife Sarah, for not consulting a lawyer to get his job back, since he is innocent. Their seven-year-old son Nani, who plays for his school cricket team, asks Arjun for an Indian jersey. Arjun comes to know that the jersey costs ₹500, and despite not having the money, promises his son that he will gift him the jersey for his birthday. Arjun finally consults a lawyer for losing his job but is told that he cannot get his job back until he pays the lawyer. Left with no option, Arjun starts asking money from his friends to buy the jersey but is not successful.

Arjun's ex-coach Murthy approaches him with a request to play in a charity match being planned between the Hyderabad cricket team and New Zealand. Arjun is promised a match fee of ₹1000 as a match fee and based on his performance, a job as the assistant coach. Arjun plays the match and gives a wonderful performance in the match, but finds out that there is no match fee. When Nani asks him for the jersey, Arjun slaps him in a fit of depression.

On realizing the depth of his son's love for him, Arjun decides to play cricket again. Coach Murthy is shocked at first but later supports him. Arjun attends the Hyderabad Ranji team selection trials and based on some stellar performances as a batsman, gets selected to play into the Ranji team, despite his age. Arjun starts representing the team and plays exceptionally good cricket and leads his team to the finals. He also wins back the love of his wife. In the finals, when the Hyderabad team is stuck in a tough situation, Arjun single-handedly leads the team to victory, but he himself collapses soon after the match.

Back in 2019, the adult Nani (the man who bought the book at the beginning) and Sarah are invited to a felicitation ceremony of Arjun in a hotel. Nani gets a gift, the Indian jersey that he had asked his father 23 years ago. Nani reveals that Arjun had died in the hospital 2 days after the Ranji finals - he was suffering from a heart disease called Arrhythmia, causing an irregular heartbeat. Arjun had known about it when he was 26 years old, the real reason why he had quit cricket when he was 26 but never told anyone about it.

In an interview with The Indian Express, director Tinnanuri stated about the film's plotline which deals with late bloomers,[27][28] who want to aspire in the sports field, but they face difficulties from doing so. He further added:

The basic plot revolves around the concept of late bloomers. Some people pursue their dreams only after a certain age and they still achieve success. They are known as late bloomers. We have plenty of examples and success stories with regards to it in different fields. But, in the case of sports, the late bloomer concept is somewhat difficult to apply. Because the sports field demands physical fitness. After a certain age, competing in any sports becomes tough. Likewise, Jersey is the story of a man who is settled in life with his wife and kid but aspires to be an Indian cricketer. The story also includes the reasons behind his dream and what he has done to achieve it during the process.[29][30]

While some claimed that the film is based on the life of Raman Lamba, Nani and director Tinnanuri claimed that it is a fictional story.[31] However, several reports claimed that the film's plot draws inspiration from real life instances.[32]

The film's soundtrack album and background score were composed by Anirudh Ravichander, marking his second Telugu project after Agnyaathavaasi (2018). On the occasion of Valentine's Day, 14 February 2019,[33] the film's first single, "Adhento Gaani Vunnapaatuga" was released and gained applause from music buffs,[34] for the freshness in the melody.[35] The second single "Spirit of Jersey" was released on 7 March 2019.[36] The songs "Padhe Padhe" and "Prapanchame Alaa" were released as singles on 31 March and 6 April.[37] The full album was released by Zee Music Company on 17 April 2019. A bonus track "Aarambhame Le" was released on 24 April 2019.[38]

All lyrics are written by Krishna Kanth.

The album received positive reviews from critics and music listeners. Neetishta Nyayapati of The Times of India, reviewed as "The album of Jersey is a must-listen, especially if you like albums that offer variety. The OST refreshingly sticks to the themes of the film, instead of meandering with regular sounding romantic and dance numbers."[39] 123Telugu gave a verdict stating "The music of Jersey is a mixed bag as it has all kinds of numbers. The feel of the album is mostly emotional and all the songs are situational and carry the film forward. This is not the regular song and dance album which will hit you right away. The songs will please you more once you see them on screen."[40] Indiaglitz gave a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and stated "The genres are different, Anirudh's tunes are a whiff of fresh air.  The singers sound 'hatke' everywhere. The situations lend themselves to lyrics laced with high meaning."[41] Moviecrow gave a rating of 3.75 out of 5 and stated "Anirudh hits right out of the park in his second Telugu film after Agnyathavaasi and Ananthakrishnan combination with Anirudh continues to give splendid result in the overall soundtrack quality from the composer."[42]

The first look poster of the film was released on New Year's Eve, 31 December 2018.[43][44] The official teaser of the film was released on 12 January 2019,[45] and received praise for the portrayal of Nani's character as a cricketer in their mid-30s.[46][47] On 9 March 2019, the movie team released a new poster, with resemblance to a magazine cover, which gained attention from film buffs.[48] The official trailer of the film was released on 12 April 2019.[49][50] The film's pre-release event was held at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad on 15 April,[51] with Venkatesh attending the event as the chief guest,[52] in presence of the film's cast and crew.[53]

The film earned ₹26.6 crore (US$3.7 million) from theatrical rights,[54] with ₹20.1 crore (US$2.8 million) from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,[54] ₹2.50 crore (US$350,000) from other parts of India,[54] and ₹4 crore (US$560,000) from overseas rights alone.[54] The film received a U certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification without any cuts,[55] and released worldwide on 19 April 2019.[56] The film opened at US in 140 screens, a day before its scheduled premiere on 18 April, whose distribution rights were bought by Blue Sky Cinemas for ₹3.5 crore (US$490,000).[57] Although the film was expected to be released simultaneously in Tamil,[58] the dubbed version remained unreleased. The film was later dubbed and released in Hindi on television and YouTube by Goldmines Telefilms on 13 October 2019.[59]

Neetishta Nyayapati of The Times of India gave 4 out of 5 stars stating "Jersey will make you laugh, cry and cheer out loud. A while into the film, Nani simply ceases to exist and it is only cricketer Arjun you see."[60] The Indian Express gave 4 out of 5 stars stating "Not just drama, Jersey has enough cricketing moments to draw you to the edge of the seat. Gowtam exactly knows how much of cricket should be shown at a given point in the narration, so that the game doesn't overshadow the human drama."[61] Writing for the Hindustan Times, Haricharan Pudipeddi gave 4 out of 5 stars stating "Jersey manages to showcase the cricket games as convincingly as possible. The effort that has gone into getting trained for his character is quite visible in Nani’s performance. From the stands to the shots and the follow through, Nani gets the body language of a batsman right and is a treat to watch while playing."[62] Firstpost gave 4 out of 5 stars stating "Jersey packs in so many emotional moments that it'll leave you with a heavy heart and loads of tears. It's a blessing that this film exists in Telugu. Watch it, cherish it, and soak yourself in the world of Jersey. They don't make such films so often these days."[63] Indiaglitz gave 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "'Jersey' is a stunning narration with touching scenes, honest rendition of dialogue, apt performances, and sound technical values. A must watch film for daring to be different. Cricket lovers as well as family audiences will enjoy the ingredients."[64]

Sify gave 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "Jersey is a refreshing and compelling sports drama and the film offers many heart-warming moments. Climax sequence is superb. Nani's brilliant performance, emotional scenes and honest narration makes this a good movie."[65] Behindwoods gave the film a rating of 3.25 out of 5 and stated "Jersey is a layered sports drama with strong technical work, making it a must watch."[66] 123 Telugu gave a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Jersey is a realistic sports drama which moves you emotionally. Nani once again proves what an actor he is and single handedly takes the film to greater heights. Realistic narration, relatable characters, great performances and above all, honest emotions will make your heart heavy. If you ignore the slightly slow pace, this film will be liked by one and all and makes for a great watch as honest films like Jersey come rarely."[67] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu, wrote "Gowtam Tinnanuri presents an endearing sports drama backed by strong performances."[68]

Film Companion wrote "There are a few simple-yet-touching moments that safely put Jersey in a league of its own."[69] India Today gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Gowtam Tinnanuri's Jersey is not just your regular sports drama. It is an emotional film that talks about a disgruntled cricketer's life, his ever-supporting wife and what it is like to be back to doing what you once considered your life."[70] Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Keeping the best for last, Gowtam ends the film with a twist which enhances the tale."[71] Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The sports drama genre, be it fictional or biopics, is in vogue in Indian cinema. Gowtham Tinnanuri’s biggest challenge with Jersey, therefore, was to not sound too predictable. But the director pulls it off by choosing to tell a story about failure rather than success. Both Shraddha and Nani are terrific together, portraying two guilt-ridden people who don’t know how to bridge the widening gap between them."[72]

Jersey has been remade into Hindi film directed by Goutam Tinnanuri and produced by Dil Raju, Allu Aravind and Aman Gill under Sri Venkateswara Creations and Geetha Arts, and stars Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur.[6][76]

• Jersey at IMDb
• Jersey on Zee5