Jersey Movie Review: Shahid Kapoor Plays 'Dil Khol Ke' And Delivers One Of His Best Knocks On Screen

Story

After Arjun's son Ketan (Prit Kamani) hands over a copy of 'Jersey', a book based on his father, to two women readers, they pose a curious question to him which transports him back in time. The scene flashbacks to a cricket match where we see Arjun (Shahid Kapoor) in tremendous form, hitting the ball for fours and sixes while his girlfriend Vidhya (Mrunal Thakur) cheers for him from the stands.

In the next shot which dates to ten years later, Arjun is seen asleep with his young son Ketan aka Kittu (Ronit Kamra) on his chest. Vidhya, now his wife, is in a slumber on a couch next to them. There are a few containers placed on the floor to collect water from the leaking roof. Fired from his job at Food Corporation of India on the charges of corruption, the former star domestic cricketer now lives off Vidhya's earnings.

For some reason, Arjun keeps an arm's length from the game of cricket despite his mentor Coach Bhalla (Pankaj Kapur) trying to coax him to return back to his first love. However, when his son Kittu asks for a jersey as a birthday gift, little does Arjun know that he would soon embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption to remain a 'hero' in his son's eyes even when the whole world has already tagged him as a loser.

Direction

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to remakes is that one cannot escape from the comparisons with the original material. Kudos to director Gowtam Tinnauri for maintaining the essence of Nani's Jersey in this Shahid Kapoor-starrer. Here too, the writer-director makes sure that you root for the protagonist both on and off the field. Tinnari tells the tale of a late bloomer who isn't a pin-up idol but an example of 'Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin.' His execution of the cricket sequences is also worth a watch. Personally for me, Jersey works more as a moving father-son story than a chronicle of triumph.

Coming to the flipside, Jersey suffers from a sluggish pace before the interval. Tinnauri could have easily done away with a few scenes to make the film more taut.

Performances

In 2019, Nani walked away with a lot of accolades for his portrayal of a failed cricketer but lovable father in Jersey. Shahid Kapoor manages to achieve a similar feat with the Hindi version as well. While Gowtam Tinnauri stays true to the original version in terms of story-telling, Kapoor brings a lot of new things as an actor to the table.

Right from his flamboyant walk and talk as the aggressive cricketer to his cute antics as a doting father, he completely surrenders himself to his character. If Kabir Singh gave us a new-age 'angry young man' in Shahid Kapoor, Jersey introduces him to us as a father who doesn't want to disappoint his son at any cost even if there's a heavy price to pay. Another sublime performance from Shahid coming your way! His scenes with his young co-star Ronit Kamra who also featured in the Telugu flick, tug at your heartstrings.

Mrunal Thakur steps into Shraddha Srinath's shoes to play Shahid Kapoor's better-half on screen. The actress does complete justice to her role and brings in a lot of authenticity to her character in terms of the emotional quotient.

Pankaj Kapur proves yet again why he is one of the finest performers we have in Indian cinema. If Shahid Kapoor is the heart of Jersey, his dad is the backbone of this sports drama as Coach Bhalla who is one of Arjun's biggest support systems. Together, this father-son duo deliver some touching moments. Geetika Mahendru as journalist Jasleen Sheirgill and Prit Kamani as Arjun's son Ketan are good in their respective roles.

Technical Aspects

Cinematographer Anil Mehta delivers some interesting shots with his camera. Be it the sequence where Shahid's character Arjun steps inside the boundary line to resume what he left behind ten years ago or a crucial nail-biting moment in a cricket match who literally marks his rise from the fall, Jersey gives you many memorable frames. Editor Navin Nooli juxtaposes a couple of scenes in a creative way to add more layers to the story-telling.

Music

Sachet Tandon's rock riff 'Mehram' and the love ballad 'Maiyya Mainnu' are our picks from Jersey album. The rest of the songs are passable.

Verdict

"Tu bataa kake, khelun ki nahin khelun?," a perplexed Arjun asks his son. To this, the kid replies, "Khelo naa papa, dil khol ke khelo. Jab cricket khelte hoon toh ekdum hero lagte hoon." Shahid Kapoor as an actor treads on a similar path. He makes sure that your heart belongs to his 'jersey'.