
Jersey is an official remake of a 2019 Telugu film of the same name. The original film has received good reception. Even won a National award for best editing. When Bollywood announces remake projects every other day, it’s hard not to be critical of these simple economic strategies. Though it is impossible to determine the motivation behind this remake.
Jersey is a rollercoaster of emotions. The father son relationship is the heart of the film. The theme is how a father rises from the darkness and walks into the light and eventually burns himself in the process to fulfil his kid’s wish. You may call it a film about second chances. Despite the fact that this is a very rigid remake, Shahid Kapoor delivers a powerful performance. In the case of Arjun and Vidya’s relationship, there are clearly some missing dots. Vidya always says, “It’s been a long time since we sat and talked like we used to.” However, in film we only witness montages and songs from their earlier days. Ronit Kamraa, the child actor, reprises his role in this adaptation. He is adorable on screen and his naivety elevates the film significantly.
When compared to the original film, there are certain improvements in terms of detailing. Some of the Ranji matches are seen played at night in the original, if memory serves. But they got it right here and showed all of the matches during the day. However, Arjun’s well-maintained luxury bike raises some concerns regarding detailing. The songs are good, but they don’t quite match the mood of the movie.
Jersey’s hindi adaptation stays true to the emotional core of the original. But the question resurfaces: is it really necessary to remake this film with a threefold increase in budget? Definitely Gowtam Tinnanuri had some new scripts; what if a Hindi studio approached him about making an original film?
