Jersey : 2019 and 2022

Seldom do you find movies that have so much depth in them and also have the ability to grip you till the end, rooting for the protagonist to prove himself. Jersey is undoubtedly one of them whether it is the original Telugu 2019 film or its Bollywood remake. Although, the original is way superior as Nani (Ghanta Naveen Babu) has given his career best but Shahid has yet again proved his mettle. 

After watching the original, I felt like there was no need to remake it in Hindi especially since the original had won 2 national awards for Best Feature Film - Telugu and Best Editing. With the same director helming this project, I knew for a fact that this was the director's decision so that the story can reach a larger audience after looking at the humungous success of Kabir Singh (Remake of Arjun Reddy). Sadly, that was not the case as due to Covid, the movie got delayed and when it finally got released, it was pitted against the magnum opus KGF Chapter 2 which was a PAN India release.  

Honestly, it was not the movie but the way it got delayed might have been the reason for the impulsive decision to release it somehow in theatres assuming that it would work the same magic as its predecessor (original). Unfortunately, it failed to do so and finally it was released on Netflix on 20th May 2022. Also, one of the major reasons for the failure of Jersey was the release of the Hindi dubbed version of the original on Goldmines YouTube channel. So far it has 105M views. 

Even though I knew the story, I still felt the emotional aspects of the film were sufficient enough to make you feel the pain of a man who has lost respect from everyone but goes to the extreme limit to keep his son's pride and respect. There are multiple scenes in the trailer as well wherein you can see Arjun (Shahid's character) being helpless, infuriated, lost and unhappy. So why does he go back to play cricket and why did he leave cricket in the first place.....well that is something the movie ultimately deals with but the crux of the movie is Arjun's perseverance to keep his son Kittu's respect for him. 

Shahid in the recent times has proved his acting prowess and I feel after Haider and Kabir Singh, this might be one of the best roles that he had the privilege to do and he has nailed it. Few scenes are so raw and emotional that you can really sense the kind of efforts that Arjun puts to get a jersey for his son. 

Gowtam Tinnanuri, the director as well as the writer of Jersey has brought a beautiful story to the screen and the writing is so crisp that you don't feel bored. Maybe that is why they won a national award for Best Editing. The theme and BGMs by Anirudh Ravichander are placed precisely to be in accordance with the scene. As you guys know that I'm huge fan of Anirudh Ravichander and the BGMs that he makes are just amazing. So even though I'm biased, the "Jersey Title Theme" and "Arjun and Nani's Theme" are my favorite from the film. You can check them out on YouTube . Apart from the theme, the song Mehram has been the only song that has actually felt in place with the original background of the film. The lyrics is phenomenal and the relatability is off the charts. 

The "Train Scene Theme" is so powerful that even you feel like going to a train station and shout at the top of your voice with immense happiness. Both Nani and Shahid have done a terrific job at nailing that scream. That feeling of achieving something and just exerting it in the right way is something that the millennials and GenZ's wont understand due to social media.

Coming to the cast members, the main purpose for Arjun's character to take cricket is his son and this may seem strange but the same kid has acted in both the films. Ronit Kamra played Nani in 2019 original version and Kittu in the 2022 remake. The role of Arjun's wife played by Shraddha Srinath (2019) and Mrunal Thakur (2022) has an impact on Arjun's decision making and it ends up being such a classic tale of love and support. Special mention for the role of Coach played by Sathyaraj (2019) and Pankaj Kapur (2022). Without a doubt, both the actors have done an incredible job to motivate Arjun in taking a stable job of an assistant coach. Arjun has a few friends who help him and support him whenever required and that just shows that even though you've a lot of people around, that smile and respect of one person can change your confidence. In this case, it was Arjun's son Kittu. 

So please do yourselves a favour and watch either Nani's 2019 version in Telugu or Shahid's 2022 remake but don't make the mistake of watching the free Hindi dubbed version on the Goldmines YouTube channel. According to some of the sources, the storyline of the Hindi Dubbed version has been butchered and it may impact your experience of viewing this film.

Well, that's it for today. Do leave a comment on what you thought about Jersey in general. 

PS: It was a good weekend as I watched Jersey on 20th, RRR (Telugu) on 21st and 12th Man (Malayalam) on 22nd May 2022.