Jersey (2019 film)

Jersey is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language sports drama film written and directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri and produced by S. Naga Vamsi under Sithara Entertainments. It stars Nani and Shraddha Srinath with Ronit Kamra, Sathyaraj, Harish Kalyan, Sanusha, Sampath Raj and Viswant Duddumpudi in pivotal roles. The film's music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, whereas cinematography was handled by Sanu John Varghese and editing done by Naveen Nooli.
The film deals with late bloomers who want to aspire in sports, but face several complications. The storyline follows Arjun (Nani), a talented but failed cricketer who decides to return to cricket in his mid-30s, driven by the desire to represent the Indian cricket team, and fulfill his son's wish for a jersey as a gift. Principal photography of the film commenced on 18 October 2018 and was completed in late-March 2019.
Jersey was released worldwide on 19 April 2019, receiving critical acclaim with praise for its direction, plot, screenplay, editing, music, score, emotional weight and cast performances (especially from Nani and Kamra). Several reviewers listed the film as one of the "Best Telugu films of 2019". Nani's performance in the film was highly appreciated by most critics, with Film Companion ranking his performance as one of his career's best and in the list of 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade. The film won two National Film Awards: Best Feature Film – Telugu and Best Editing (Nooli). It further won two Critics Choice, Zee Cine Awards Telugu and four South Indian International Movie Awards. The film was also screened at the International Indian Toronto Film Festival in August 2020. In 2022, Tinnanuri also helmed the Hindi remake of the film, sharing the same title.
In 2019, in New York City, a young man purchases a book titled Jersey from a bookstore. However, when a woman arrives to buy the same book, he hands it over to her instead. Curious about his gesture, she asks why he gave it to her. The man replies that the book is about the life of his father, Arjun.
Shortly after, he receives a phone call informing him that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has scheduled an event to honor and felicitate his father.
At the event, in front of a large gathering—including his mother, his father’s friends, BCCI officials, and former cricketers—the young man, Nani, shares his father’s story upon receiving an Indian national cricket team jersey with "Arjun" written on it.
Flashing back to 1986 in Hyderabad, Arjun was a highly talented Ranji Trophy cricketer. He was deeply in love with Sarah, but after repeated rejections from the Indian national team due to selection politics, he quit cricket. Though he secured a government job under the sports quota, he later lost it when he was falsely accused of bribery.
By 1996, at the age of 36, Arjun was unemployed and frequently scolded by his wife for not consulting a lawyer to clear his name and regain his job. Their seven-year-old son, Nani, who played for his school cricket team, asked for an Indian team jersey. Arjun, unable to afford the ₹500 jersey, nonetheless promised his son he would get it as a birthday gift. Desperate, he reached out to friends for financial help, but to no avail.
An old coach, Murthy, approached Arjun, offering him a chance to play in a charity match between the Hyderabad cricket team and New Zealand, with a promised match fee of ₹1,000 and the prospect of an assistant coaching position. Arjun played the match brilliantly but narrowly missed securing a win. However, he later learned that, being a charity match, there was no match fee. Frustrated, he ended up slapping Nani when the boy repeatedly asked for his jersey.
Realizing the depth of his son’s love, Arjun made the bold decision to return to cricket. Despite initial skepticism, Coach Murthy supported him. Arjun attended selection trials for the Hyderabad Ranji team but was dismissed due to his age. However, an article by journalist Ramya convinced selectors to give him a chance. Arjun’s stellar batting performances secured him a spot in the team.
While Arjun was regaining success, Sarah remained unsupportive, preferring he return to a stable job. Seeing his dedication, Sarah’s estranged father offered to pay the ₹50,000 needed to fight for his reinstatement. However, Arjun refused, expressing how he had always been told he was incapable, but cricket had reignited his purpose.
During the semifinals, Arjun experienced chest pain but played through it, leading his team to victory. His doctor recommended further medical tests, which Sarah pointed out they couldn’t afford. Though contemplating retirement, Arjun sought Nani’s advice, and his son encouraged him to continue playing.
In the finals, when Hyderabad found itself in a tough situation, Arjun single-handedly led the team to victory—only to collapse shortly after the match.
Returning to 2019, Nani and Sarah attend Arjun’s felicitation ceremony. The book Jersey was written by Ramya, chronicling Arjun’s inspiring journey. Nani receives a special gift—the Indian team jersey that had been awarded to his father after his selection to the national team.
Nani emotionally reflects that, 23 years ago, he had asked his father for a jersey, and Arjun had kept his promise—even at the cost of his own life. In a private conversation at the event, Nani learns from Arjun’s doctor that his father had been suffering from Arrhythmia, a heart condition causing an irregular heartbeat. Arjun had known about his condition since he was 26, which was the real reason he quit cricket, but he never told anyone—not even his wife.
Contrary to critics who believed Arjun had chased an impossible dream to his demise, Nani reveals that his father was a true fighter. He played, knowing the risks, not for himself but to fulfill his son’s wish to see him as a cricketer. Through his journey, Arjun proved that “it’s never too late to dream.”
In June 2018, Nani was reported to sign his 23rd film with Gowtam Tinnanuri, who made his debut with Malli Raava (2018), which was officially announced at the second season of the Bigg Boss Telugu show, which commenced on 10 June 2018. A first look poster was released on 15 June 2018, revealing the title as Jersey. The poster featured a cricket jersey with the name "Arjun", who is a struggling 36 year old cricketer played by Nani in the lead role. The film was set up in the period of 1986 and 1996. Director Gowtam Tinnanuri noted that the film is not based on the life of late cricketer Raman Lamba.
The pre-production work of the film took place soon after its announcement, and makers decided to start the shoot in September 2018, only after finalising the cast and crew members. While Nani had undergone a special training in cricket, for three and half hours per day, to fit into his role. Followed by the success of Bigg Boss Season 2, Nani decided to increase the remuneration by ₹4 crore to ₹6 crore. However, Nani signed the film free of cost and also opting for a profit-sharing basis, due to major constraints in the film's budget.
Anirudh Ravichander announced that he will be composing music for the project, which marks his second film in Telugu after Agnyaathavaasi. The technical crew also included Sanu John Vargehse, Naveen Nooli and Avinash Kolla as the cinematographer, editor and art director respectively. Initially Reba Monica John and Kashmira Pardeshi were roped in as the female leads for the film. Later, Shraddha Srinath was finalised to star opposite Nani. Shraddha claimed that the film's script based on sports is about "emotions and relationships". Harish Kalyan, Sathyaraj and Sampath Raj were signed in other prominent roles. While Adah Sharma was reported to act in a special song in the film, it was claimed as baseless rumours, since the actress did not confirm her presence.
The film was launched on 17 October 2018, with the presence of the crew members, whilst Trivikram Srinivas attending the ceremony as the chief guest. Principal photography commenced the very following day, and was held at various places across Hyderabad. It was revealed that 250 cast and crew members were involved in the making of the film. The main cricket match that takes place in the film was apparently shot in 24 days on two international and five domestic cricket grounds. 130 professional cricket players were also roped in to be extras for these scenes, with 18 of them coming in from England. It was revealed that the shooting of the film was wrapped up in March 2019. Post-release the director had shot two climaxes for the film, however there was no change in the climax scene after Nani condemned rumours about the film.
In an interview with The Indian Express, director Tinnanuri stated about the film's plotline which deals with late bloomers, who want to aspire in the sports field, but they face difficulties from doing so. He further added:
While some claimed that the film is based on the life of Raman Lamba, Nani and director Tinnanuri claimed that it is a fictional story.
The film's soundtrack album and background score were composed by Anirudh Ravichander in his second Telugu project after Agnyaathavaasi (2018). The album featuring five tracks had lyrics written by Krishna Kanth; four of the tracks were released as singles before the album release on 17 April 2019. Later, two of the tracks were released as bonus singles after the film's release – the first track "Aarambhame Le" was unveiled on 24 April and another track "Nuvvadiginadhe" was released along with the original background score on 13 May 2019.
The first look poster of the film was released on New Year's Eve, 31 December 2018. The official teaser of the film was released on 12 January 2019, and received praise for the portrayal of Nani's character as a cricketer in their mid-30s. On 9 March 2019, the movie team released a new poster, with resemblance to a magazine cover, which gained attention from film buffs. The official trailer of the film was released on 12 April 2019. The film's pre-release event was held at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad on 15 April, with Venkatesh attending the event as the chief guest, in presence of the film's cast and crew.
The film received a U certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification without any cuts, and released worldwide on 19 April 2019. Although the film was expected to be released simultaneously in Tamil, the dubbed version was released on Sun NXT on 27 March 2021 as The Cricketer: My Dear Father. The film was also dubbed and released in Hindi on television and YouTube by Goldmines Telefilms on 13 October 2019.
Jersey was praised by critics, especially for Nani's performance, Tinnanuri's screenplay and emotional sequences. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.
Neetishta Nyayapati of 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." 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." Writing for the Hindustan Times, Haricharan Pudipeddi gave 4 out of 5 stars stating, "Jersey manages to showcase the cricket games as convincingly as possible. The effort that has gone into getting trained for his character is quite visible in Nani’s performance. From the stands to the shots and the follow through, Nani gets the body language of a batsman right and is a treat to watch while playing." 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."
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." Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote, "Gowtam Tinnanuri presents an endearing sports drama backed by strong performances."
Film Companion wrote, "There are a few simple-yet-touching moments that safely put Jersey in a league of its own." India Today gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Director Gowtam Tinnanuri's Jersey is not just your regular sports drama. It is an emotional film that talks about a disgruntled cricketer's life, his ever-supporting wife and what it is like to be back to doing what you once considered your life." Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Keeping the best for last, Gowtam ends the film with a twist which enhances the tale." Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The sports drama genre, be it fictional or biopics, is in vogue in Indian cinema. Gowtam Tinnanuri’s biggest challenge with Jersey, therefore, was to not sound too predictable. But the director pulls it off by choosing to tell a story about failure rather than success. Both Shraddha and Nani are terrific together, portraying two guilt-ridden people who don’t know how to bridge the widening gap between them."
Jersey has been remade in Hindi with the same title by Tinnanuri himself, marking as his Hindi directorial debut and produced by Dil Raju, Allu Aravind and Aman Gill under Sri Venkateswara Creations and Geetha Arts. The film stars Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur.