REVIEW: JERSEY

Producers- Dil Raju, Aman Gill and S. Naga Vamsi

Director- Gowtam Tinnanuri

Star Cast- Shahid Kapoor, Mrunal Thakur, Pankaj Kapoor, Rituraj Singh and Ronit Kamra

Genre- Family Drama

Platform of Release- Theatrical

Emotion Soaked Heartwarming Tale!

Rating: 2.5

Jyothi Venkatesh

The film which is an official Hindi remake of the Nani-starrer Jersey (in Telugu), which also won a National Award, tracks the journey of a domestic star cricketer who opts out of the sport at the peak of his career. It revolves around the world of Arjun Talwar (Shahid Kapoor), Vidya (Mrunal Thakur), and their eight year old son Kittu (Ronit Kamra).

It’s your average middle-class family, based in Chandigarh, dealing with dripping walls and unpaid electricity bills, and the heavy weight of the man of the house who is struggling to find a path for himself. He was a Ranji Trophy player who was expelled from his team after false corruption charges leveled against him and has also lost his job.

To put it in a nutshell, the film is a heartwarming tale of how former Ranji Cricket player Arjun Talwar frustrated with his life away from the dressing room decides to return to the sport at the age of 36 to prove his potential worth to his wife, Vidya (Mrunal Thakur) and to also remain a hero to his school-going son (Ronit Kamra).

Shahid Kapoor scores with his histrionics in the film as an aged cricketer who fulfills his ambition even though he knows that it will cost him even his life because his doctors have advised him against strain and stress.

Mrunal Thakur impresses with her demeanor and skillfully manages to convey her expressions as a frustrated housewife who has given up that her cricketer husband would ever be able to earn for the house again and does not mince words when she reprimands him on his inability from time to time.

It is, however, the wonder kid Rohit Kamra who steals the show with his natural performance and invincible smile reminding you of Jugal Hansraj of yore.

Yet another convincing performance is that of Pankaj Kapur who plays the coach to Shahid and brings out a warm relationship akin to the real life father- son that they share in real life wonderfully.

While Sachet-Parampara’s music impresses you instantly and is catchy and soothing, cinematography by Anil Mehta is unobtrusive.

On the whole, Gowtam Tinnanuri has come up with a better performance as the director by cleansing the mistakes that he had done in helming the original Telugu version, though there are lapses like Pankaj Kapur mistaking Mrunal Thakur’s father to be a Madrasi when his mother tongue is actually Telugu. On the flipside, the producers are also to be blamed for plugging in Cadbury’s Milk chocolate more than once in the film.

On the whole, all said and done, Jersey is an emotionally soaking heartwarming tale which extracts tears from your eyes.