Nani to play a cricketer in upcoming Telugu sports drama Jersey; shoot will start from September

Actor Nani, who is known for predominantly starring in out-and-out commercial films, is finally ready to step out of his comfort zone. In his recent chat with Firstpost, he expressed his interest to star in a project as ambitious as _Dangal_ , but he pointed out that he has to assemble audiences to back him in such attempts. Having delivered blockbusters such as _Nenu Local_ , _MCA_ and _Ninnu Kori_ , Nani is all set to play a cricketer in upcoming sports drama Jersey. On 15 June, Nani took to Twitter to share the first look poster and title of the film. The film’s poster features a jersey with the name Arjun on it, and it appears to be hanging in the dressing room of Indian cricket team.

#JERSEY 👕😊 pic.twitter.com/MRCRYmkEpd

— Nani (@NameisNani) June 15, 2018

In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Jersey director Gowtam Tinnanuri opened up about the project and why he thought Nani was apt for the titular role. “It’s a story about a late bloomer who realizes his talent at a certain age and pursues his dream to join Indian cricket team. It’s a period sports drama and the story takes place between 1986 and 1996.” Nani plays a character called Arjun in the film and Gowtam describes the film as a “success story of a failure”. Gowtam clarified that the story is not based on any real character. “It’s entirely a fictional story. We are planning to start shooting from September. Nani will undertake cricket lessons in preparation for the role.” Explaining why he roped in Nani, Gowtam said he wanted an actor with a universal appeal. “As a subject, I want this story to reach as many people as possible. With his universal appeal, Nani can take this story far and wide. I also really like him as an actor.” Suryadevara Naga Vamsi will bankroll Jersey under the banner of Sithara Entertainments. The pre-production work is already underway and Nani is busy juggling between the shoot of his upcoming yet-untitled multi-starrer project with Akkineni Nagarjuna and the second season of Bigg Boss Telugu. Nani makes his television debut as the host of Bigg Boss. _Read: Bigg Boss Telugu season 2 kickstarts with actor Nani as host; full list of contestants revealed_ He recently told _Firstpost_ that he doesn’t see hosting Bigg Boss as a calculated move to earn new set of audiences. “I just see this as one more way to connect with my audience. Through my films, I can connect with them once or twice in a year. But through this show, I can stay in touch with them for good three months every week. I’m more curious about how I will be received in this medium which I’m yet to fully explore.”