Jersey is helmed by Gowtam Tinnanuri. Jersey is helmed by Gowtam Tinnanuri. Telugu film Jersey has become the latest victim of piracy website Tamilrockers. Starring Nani in the lead role, Jersey is a sports drama. Directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, the film also stars Shraddha Srinath. Recently-released Kalank has also ended up on Tamilrockers which has been illegally providing users with the option to download latest films. Nani recently spoke about his latest release and said, “The entire film is based on the relationship between a father and son. It is one of the reasons why I have such a strong emotional connection with this film. I can also confidently tell you that you will also feel the same way I feel about the film when you see it. I can say that Jersey is the best movie of my career.” Nani also added, “I was engrossed in the story when Gowtam Tinnanuri narrated it to me. I could not think about anything else while hearing the script. The story gave me goosebumps and left me with a heavy heart. Such a beautiful feeling it was.” Jersey marks Shraddha Srinath’s debut in the Telugu film industry. Talking about the experience of working with Nani, she said, “Not once during the shoot Nani got irritated with my takes or language. He always encouraged me. The movie runs on our chemistry and Nani and I are riveting in Jersey.” With Jersey ending up on Tamilrockers, it is yet to be seen if the film’s box office collection will get affected by this leak. The film, meanwhile, opened to good reviews. In his review wrote, Indianexpress.com’s Manoj Kumar R, “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.” He added, “Gowtam makes the viewing experience uplifting by highlighting the little expressions of his characters, a trick which is equivalent to a thousand words.” Many Tollywood celebrities too heaped praise on the Nani starrer. While Jr NTR tweeted, “#Jersey is an outstanding film that took me on a roller coaster ride. Hats off to Gautam Tinnanuri for choosing such a subject and executing it with conviction and brilliance. Kudos to the cast and crew who excelled and supported Gautam’s vision. Bro @NameisNani , you have hit the ball out of the park with a stellar performance! Brilliant, Brilliant, BRILLIANT ! I will cherish your performance for a long time to come and I am super proud of you #Jersey,” Sudheer Babu poted on Twitter, “#JERSEY will be celebrated and it will be remembered. The film stays with me. In love with @Nameisnani’s performance. Brilliantly done @gowtam19 & @ShraddhaSrinath is a class act. Congratulations all 👏👏”<doc-sep>Dear Reader, This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without. Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com<doc-sep>Story: Arjun (Nani) is a 36 year old, ex-Ranji best batsman whose career fails to take off. But what happens when he decides to make it to the Indian cricket team despite his age? Review: To call Jersey just the story of an ex-cricketer Arjun (Nani) who fights conventions to get selected in the Indian cricket team is a grave injustice to the film, even if that’s how it sums itself up. It is also the story of the love of his life Sarah (Shraddha Srinath), who struggles to stay in love with the man he has become. It’s the story of assistant coach Murthy (Sathyaraj) who sticks by an orphan through thick and thin, even at his most irrational best, in hope that he will be able to aid him in achieving his dream someday. But, most importantly, it’s the story of a father who’s so enamoured with his son Nani (Ronit Kamra) that he would do anything to not stoop low in his eyes and get him the birthday gift he always wanted. Despite the multiple threads and three different time frames that connect to Arjun, Gowtam Tinnanuri does a stupendous job of not tangling them all up into a mess. Arjun is an ex-Ranji player, the best right hand batsman of his time and a cocky man who’s unfortunately soon grounded by reality. Sarah is the love of his life who marries him against her father’s wishes and now struggles to stay in love with the shell he is. The once in love couple now constantly seem at warring ends, but the ray of brightness in their life is their son Nani (Ronit Kamra), whose brings in a refreshing innocence to an otherwise hefty story. And then there’s assistant coach Murthy who pushes Arjun to maximise his potential, even when the latter refuses to. Jersey is a beautifully told tale which sees Nani delivering his career’s best performance with ease. If he’s good as the cocky batsman who knows he’s talented, he’s doubly good as the man who’s constantly beaten by life but refuses to give up. The actor trained and practiced cricket while shooting for the film and it shows in the scenes in which he picks up cricketers’ body language with ease. A while into the film, Nani simply ceases to exist and it is only cricketer Arjun you see, someone who’s as comfortable on the field as he is on the couch in his living room. The realisation of how well he performed especially comes through in key scenes which require him to emote without speaking a word. While Nani also shines through in scenes that require him to play cricket, the scenes between him and his son are the ones that steal your heart. Ronit Kamra nails his performance as the seven year old son who sees his father as nothing less than a superhero. The scenes between them don't just radiate love, but also an understated humour that keeps the film from being too serious. Shraddha Srinath makes an impressive Telugu debut, as a woman who’s head-over-heels in love with her husband, but is still not someone who will agree to put up with his carelessness. Sathyaraj breezes through his role as the constant backbone Arjun needs. While Gowtam Tinnanuri really takes the cake in this one, with his stupendous screenplay and narration, Sanu Varghese’s cinematography and Anirudh Ravichander’s music do their bit to simply pour life into the film. Naveen Nooli too does a good job with the editing, with the film, despite its long runtime and laggy bits, not ending up seeming like a cricket documentary. Watch this one this weekend if you’re an ardent fan of cricket, for you will sit on the edge of your seat during the sporting scenes. Watch this one for Nani and the rest of the cast, who will make you fall in love with their characters by the time the end credits roll. But especially watch this one for Gowtam Tinnanuri, for it’s not every day that a director manages to pull off a sports drama like this with ease. Jersey will make you laugh, cry and cheer out loud.<doc-sep>Rating: Director: Gowtam Tinnanuri Cast: Nani, Shraddha Srinath, Sathya Raj, Sampath Raj, Ronith, Praveen One of the most successful actors in Telugu cinema, Nani tries something different each time. With Jersey, he appears to know he has gone a step ahead. Nani has spoken highly about the film and has said the Gowtam Tinnanuri-directed film is his career’s best. Arjun (Nani), an exceptional batsman playing for the Hyderabad Ranji team, marries his girlfriend Sara (Shraddha Srinath) and starts a family. At the age of 26 he quits cricket and takes up a job, which he subsequently loses. From then on, he depends on his wife for everything. His seven-year-old son asks him for an Indian team jersey as his birthday gift. Arjun cannot afford one but he gets an opportunity when his coach (Sathya Raj) tells him to play a charity match for a fee. As it turns out, there is more at stake than just the match fee. Jersey could well be the first film to completely have cricket as a backdrop. Director Gowtam Tinnanrui has done well to load the sports drama with emotion, and taking a close look at relationships — between father and son, wife and husband and coach and player. The depiction of the father-son bonding is touching, and the manner in which a talented sportsperson struggles in his life realistic. The cricket field, matches and the team selection are lively and believable. The 36-year-old father wants to become a hero for his son and to prove to his wife that age is not a bar to reach his goal. Gowtam moves back and forth in the narration, starting with the present, travelling back to 1986 and moving forward to 1996. Keeping the best for last, Gowtam ends the film with a twist which enhances the tale. If it were not to be for that, the entire effort may have gone waste. Full credit to Gowtam for coming up with Jersey, not the regular film and not something that happens in Tollywood usually. Except perhaps there could have been a little less cricket in the second half. Nani is stunning once again and clearly carries the film on his shoulders. He has proved his value in many films and, as he has said in the promos, Jersey is his best so far. He is so natural that you can be forgiven for thinking that it is Arjun on the screen and not Nani. Clearly, he is not known as the ‘Natural Star’ for nothing. In a good film, the railway station scene is the stand out. Shraddha Srinath is equally good as the wife and it’s a memorable debut for her in Telugu. She puts in a very mature performance. Sathya Raj gets a meaty role and is the other pillar for the film. After Nani, Sathya Raj is the highlight. Child actor Ronith is excellent, and there are a few scenes in which he really does touch the heart. Sampath Raj plays a coach. Praveen as Nani friend supports well. Rao Ramesh and Brahmaji appear in cameo roles. Cinematography by Sanu John Varughese merges with the story-telling. The artwork by Avinash deserves mention. Aniridh Ravichander’s background music is elevates the mood. Jersey is not a regular film, and not because there are no songs, no action scenes or the typical comedy. It is the story of a talented cricketer and his emotional journey of letting himself go to waste and fighting back. A refreshing first of its kind in sports drama in Telugu.<doc-sep>
Film: Jersey Director: Gowtam Tinnanuri Cast: Nani, Shraddha Srinath, Sathyaraj, Rao Ramesh Rating: 4/5 It’s the season of sports films in southern cinema and the success of recent films such as Kanaa, Natpe Thunai and Majili is proof to the popularity of the genre. If done right, sports dramas can be both moving and inspiring and there can’t be a better example than Nani starrer Jersey, which is truly a rewarding story of triumph and self-discovery. Even though it comes across as a familiar story of dreams and failure set against a sports backdrop, it goes beyond exploring the usual tropes that are generally associated with such films. Jersey, which predominantly unfolds between 1986 and 1996, revolves around a cocky ex-Ranji cricketer Arjun (Nani), who is undoubtedly the best player of his time. Sarah (Shraddha) is madly in love with Arjun and she marries him against her father’s wishes. At the peak of his career when he’s due to be selected for the Indian team, Arjun decides to quit cricket after being let down by politics in the selection committee. Reality hits him hard and he’s no longer the arrogant Arjun he used to be as he reminds himself he has a wife and son to look after. 10 years after he’s bid adieu to cricket, he starts playing once again to prove himself at 36 for the sake of his son. Jersey is both a competent sports drama and a moving tale of a father and son. This is not the story of a hero; this is one of a father who doesn’t want to disappoint his son, of a husband who wants to finally bring a ray of hope into his wife’s life and of a cricketer who wants to fulfill his coach’s long-time wish. This is the success story of a man who has seen more failures and constantly been beaten by life but refuses to give up. In recent years, no other filmmaker has made a sports film with such ease and conviction, and Gowtam makes a strong mark with this story of a late bloomer. Jersey humanizes a sports star and shows us how his failures can affect the people close to him. Instead of making this a story of glory and success, Gowtam makes this a tale of redemption and self-discovery. Nani hits all the right notes in his portrayal of a former cricketer and a father in Jersey. Nani is terrific as Arjun and he hasn’t looked so comfortable in role in a while. As Arjun, it’s extremely difficult to see Nani in the role and that’s probably the biggest achievement of Jersey, which also features Shraddha Srinath in a pivotal role. As the guilt-ridden couple struggling to keep their marriage afloat, it’s through her unspeakable words Sarah places her faith in Arjun and the scenes between them are so refreshing. There are scenes where we see them living under the same roof and not conversing but one can still sense the love they have for each other. The ever reliable Sathyaraj as the coach shines in yet another role which he can even play in his sleep. Arjun’s relationship with his son is what really makes Jersey a heartwarming father-son bonding drama. It’s their relationship that really drives the story forward. It is through the son’s eyes, we see Arjun without judging him. Some of the film’s best moments are between Arjun and his son. 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. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop