Jersey Review: Shahid Kapoor hits the ball out of the park in this emotionally rich tale of triumph

Jersey Movie Review Rating: 4/5

After facing a series of setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, Shahid Kapoor's much-anticipated film Jersey is finally set to hit screens on April 22. The sports drama is the official remake of the immensely successful Telugu-language film Jersey (2019). With the remake, Kapoor returns to grace the silver screen after a gap of almost three years after the release of his biggest blockbuster Kabir Singh (2019), which was also a remake of a Telugu-language film called Arjun Reddy (2017). Kabir Singh turned out to be an instant blockbuster at the ticket window. Will Kapoor be able to hit the jackpot again with Jersey? Well, that is something only time will tell. Meanwhile, our BollywoodMDB reviewer watched the film at a special media screening held on Wednesday in Mumbai and here is what he has to say about the film.

STORY: Arjun Talwar (Shahid Kapoor), former Ranji player with several unassailable records under his belt, decides to quit cricket after marrying Vidya (Mrunal Thakur) and joins as Assistant Manager in Food Corporation of India. Soon, the couple welcomes their son. However, their idyllic world is upended when Arjun loses his job due to a false corruption case and is soon branded as a loser. However, after failing to give his son an Indian team jersey, a frustrated Arjun decides to make a comeback on the field after a decade. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

HIGHS: Jersey is high on emotions right from the beginning and will leave you teary eyed, especially in the scenes involving Shahid Kapoor and his son. A couple of scenes featuring Kapoor alongside Pankaj Kapur are also emotionally charged. There is also a scene in the film where Kapoor goes to a railway station and expresses his happiness of making it to the team again after a decade by screaming at the top of his voice while a train passes by at full speed.

Speaking of performances, Shahid Kapoor outshines actor Nani who played the male lead in the Telugu version of the film. Kapoor is an amazing actor and he proves it yet again. He is at the top of his own game as Arjun Talwar who is willing to do everything he can to be successful at the age of 36. The actor seems to have given his sweat and blood to the character of Arjun Talwar. After Kabir Singh, the audience is going to love him as Arjun Talwar as well.

Mrunal Thakur also does complete justice to her character. Since it is a film about a man chasing his dreams of playing for the Indian cricket team, the focus is obviously more on Kapoor's character. But Thakur holds her ground throughout and delivers a highly convincing performance. Pankaj Kapur, needless to say, is brilliant. He suits the role to a tee. Director Gowtam Tinnanuri, who directed the original as well, does a great job as the director of the remake, though without adding any truly original curves to the storyline.

LOWS: If you have already seen the original film, you will find some scenes have been taken from its source material as it is. Jersey is almost three hours long, and the pace slackens every now and then. A little bit of trimming here and there could have been better. There are a couple of songs in the film that do take the story forward quite successfully, but you will forget them as soon as you step out of the theatre.

FINAL VERDICT: Even if you have watched the original film, Shahid Kapoor’s Jersey offers a gamut of new emotions that you can enjoy on the big screen. You do not have to be a sports fan to enjoy Jersey. The film is more about emotions, the father-son relationship than sports. I am going with 4 stars.

Watch Jersey trailer:

MOVIE CREDITS

Banner: Allu Entertainment, Dil Raju Production, Sithara Entertainments, Brat Films

Director: Gowtam Tinnanuri

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Mrunal Thakur, Pankaj Kapur, etc.

Runtime: 170 Minutes