Actor Shahid Kapoor will soon be seen in the sports drama Jersey that releases on December 31. For the unversed, the upcoming film, written and directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri is a remake of his 2019 Telugu film of the same title.
In the film, Shahid Kapoor essays the role of a former cricketer who returns to the game for the sake of his son. It seems that the entire journey of his return is fueled by the fact that he cannot purchase even a jersey for his son, who looks up to him.
Now, in an interaction with Bollywood Hungama, Shahid has named MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli as his inspirations while preparing for his upcoming movie Jersey. Dhoni retired from international cricket back in August 2020 while Virat Kohli remains India’s Test skipper after giving up the T20I captaincy. He has been dropped as ODI captain as well.
Shahid, during his interaction, said he is awestruck with the aura of the two legendary Indian cricketers, stating, “As a batsman, there is no point in taking inspiration, because you will never be able to play as well as professional cricketers. But there is something about the presence and the personality of certain people which appeal to me.”
He went on to add, “And I think MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are two batsmen who I felt have a certain aura when they walk onto the pitch.”
He went on to add that those were the two people he saw before playing the character of Arun Talwar. “I connected with them not just as cricketers, but I connected with their passion for the sport. I could feel that every minute when they are on the ground and that is very inspiring to see in any sportsperson,” he added.
The original Jersey had Nani in the lead. The Hindi version also stars Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Kapur in pivotal roles.
Jersey was initially slated for theatrical release on August 28 but got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film wrapped up its shoot on December 14, 2020, and will now release over a year later on December 31, 2021. The film follows cricketer Arjun, who having sacrificed his career ten years ago, comes back and aims to play for team India in order to fulfil his son’s desire for a jersey.
