Jersey is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language sports drama film written and directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri and produced by Suryadevara 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 universal acclaim and critical reviews with praise of direction, plot, screenplay, editing, music, score, emotional weight and cast performances (especially of 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.
Plot
In 2019 in New York City, a young man buys a book called Jersey from a bookshop but gives it to a woman who came in to buy the book. When the woman asks for the reason why he gave her the book, the man replies that the book is on the life of his father, Arjun.
The man receives a phone call and a lady from other side tell him that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) scheduled to felicitate, honour his father in a public event.
In the event in front of large gathering, where his mother and his father's friends, BCCI officials and former cricketers, the man, Nani tells his father's biography after receiving India national cricket team's jersey of his father, Arjun's name written on it.
In 1986 in Hyderabad, Arjun is an immensely talented Ranji (first-class cricketer) player who is in love with Sarah. Arjun quits cricket when he repeatedly gets rejected to play in the Indian team, due to selection politics. He is given a government job under sports quota, but loses it when he is accused of bribery.
10 years later in 1996, the 36-year-old Arjun is jobless and always scolded by his wife Sarah, for not consulting a lawyer to get his job back since he is innocent. Their seven-year-old son Nani, who plays for his school cricket team, asks Arjun for an Indian jersey. Arjun learns that the jersey costs , and despite not having the money, he promises his son that he will gift him the jersey for his birthday. Arjun finally consults a lawyer for losing his job, but is told that he cannot get his job back until he pays the lawyer. Left with no option, Arjun asks for money from his friends to buy the jersey but is not successful.
Arjun's ex-coach Murthy approaches him with a request to play in a charity match being planned between the Hyderabad cricket team and New Zealand. Arjun is promised a match fee of as a match fee and based on his performance, a job as the assistant coach. Arjun plays the match and gives a wonderful performance in the match, but falls just short of eking out a win. Afterwards, he learns that there is no match fee, being a charity match. A journalist, Ramya, is at the match and photographs Arjun's performance. When Nani pesters him for the jersey on the way home from the match, Arjun slaps him in a fit of frustration.