Jersey (2019 film)
Jersey (2019 film)
| Jersey | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gowtam Tinnanuri |
| Produced by | Suryadevara Naga Vamsi |
| Written by | Gowtam Tinnanuri |
| Screenplay by | Gowtam Tinnanuri |
| Starring | Nani Shraddha Srinath |
| Music by | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Cinematography | Sanu Varghese |
| Edited by | Naveen Nooli |
Production company | Sithara Entertainments |
Release date |
|
Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹25 crore[1] |
| Box office | est. ₹51 crore[2] |
Jersey is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language sports drama film written and directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri and is produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under his production banner Sithara Entertainments.[3] The film stars Nani and Shraddha Srinath while Harish Kalyan, Sanusha, Sathyaraj, Sampath Raj, and Viswant played other pivotal roles.[4] The film's music is scored by Anirudh Ravichander and cinematography handled by Sanu Varghese.[5][6] Principal photography of the film commenced on 18 October 2018 and the film was released on 19 April 2019.
Jersey received highly positive critical reviews upon its release. Several reviewers listed the film as one of their Best Telugu films in 2019. Film Companion ranked Nani's performance in the list of 100 greatest performances of the decade.[7][8]
Plot[edit source]
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.
Cast[edit source]
- Nani as Arjun
- Shraddha Srinath as Sarah Arjun
- Ronit Kamra as Young Nani
- Harish Kalyan as Nani (cameo)
- Viswant Duddumpudi as Nandan (Nandu) Reddy
- Sanusha as Journalist Ramya, Nandu's girlfriend
- Sathyaraj as Coach Murthy
- Sampath Raj as Ramappa Gowda, Karnataka Coach
- Shishir Sharma as Atul, Mumbai Coach
- Praveen as Rajesh, Arjun's friend
- Jayaprakash as BCCI Chairman
- Rao Ramesh as Lawyer
- Brahmaji as Aspiring Actor (cameo)
- Sanjay Swaroop as Sarah's Father
- Anchor Sowmya as Padhoo
- Matthew Jackson as New Zealand star cricketer
- Finn Hulbert as New Zealand Cricketer
- Alan Beansley as South African Cricketer
Production[edit source]
The project was announced by Gowtham Tinnanuri in June 2018 and the first look poster along with the film title was released on social media on 15 June 2018.[9][10] The first look poster includes a cricket jersey with the name "Arjun", who is a struggling 36 year old cricketer played by Nani in the lead role.[11]
The pre-production work of the film was underway from June 2018 and filming commenced on 18 October 2018.[12] The film was launched on 17 October 2018 and director Trivikram Srinivas attended the ceremony as chief guest.[9]
It was revealed that Nani signed for the film in June 2018 while he was busy wrapping up his shoot for Devadas. The film announcement was made while Nani was hosting the second season of the Bigg Boss Telugu show which commenced on 10 June 2018.[13][14] The project marks Nani's 23rd film in his career.[10]
Soundtrack[edit source]
The soundtrack album was composed by Anirudh Ravichander, on his third Telugu album after Agnyaathavaasi and Nani's Gang Leader. On 14 February 2019, the film's first single, "Adhento Gaani Vunnapaatuga", was released and won applause for freshness in the melody. Other tracks of the album were released as singles. Zee Music Company acquired the rights of the soundtrack. The entire soundtrack album was released on 17 April 2019. An additional song named "Aarambhame Le" was released on 24 April 2019. Another soundtrack album featuring the original background score, plus an additional song was released on 13 May 2019.
| Jersey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 17 April 2019 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 21:35 | |||
| Language | Telugu | |||
| Label | Zee Music Company | |||
| Anirudh Ravichander chronology | ||||
| ||||
Telugu Songs
Tamil Songs
Marketing and release[edit source]
The film is a period drama set in 1986 and 1996.[15] The official teaser of the film was unveiled on 12 January 2019 with the confirmation of the scheduled release date of April 19, 2019.[16][17][18]
The film was later dubbed and released in Hindi on television and YouTube by Goldmines Telefilms on 13 October 2019.[19]
A remake in Hindi with the same title, directed by Gowtham Tinnanauri and produced by Allu Aravind, Aman Gill, Dil Raju is scheduled to be released in August 2020.[20][21][22]
Reception[edit source]
Critical Reception[edit source]
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".[23]
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".[24]
Hindustan Times gave 4 out of 5 stars stating "Jersey a heartwarming father-son bonding drama. Rewarding story of triumph and self discovery".[25]
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".[26]
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".[27]
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".[28]
Awards and nominations[edit source]
| Date of ceremony | Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January 2020 | Zee Cine Awards Telugu | Favorite Actor of the year | Nani | Won | [29] |
| Best Find of the year - Female | Shraddha Srinath | Won | |||
| 28 March 2020 | Critics Choice Film Awards | Best Film | Jersey | Nominated | [30] [31] |
| Best Director | Gowtam Tinnanuri | Won | |||
| Best Actor – Male | Nani | Won | |||
| Best Actor – Female | Shraddha Srinath | Nominated | |||
| Best Writing | Gowtam Tinnanuri | Nominated |
Remake[edit source]
Jersey is being remade into Hindi 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.[32]
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