Lucknow Central truthfully portrays the story of a person's unflinching desires. Kishen Mohan Girhotra (Farhan Akhtar), an aspirational singer from a small town, has only one dream—to become a professional singer. He is desperate to meet his favourite icon—Bhojpuri singer Manoj Tiwari. But soon, he is falsely accused of murder of an IAS officer. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he is put in the Moradabad jail from where he is moved to Lucknow jail after 18 months.
Before he shifts, he gets an inkling of how a prison reformer, Gayatri Kashyap (Diana Penty), has been asked to form a band in the Lucknow jail. Kishen is determined to form a band that will compete with other bands from other jails in the state. His desperate attempts to find band members doesn't materialise until he gives the idea a spin and wins the confidence of a few inmates who want to escape. He recruits people who are not musically inclined but skilled enough to facilitate a jail break. Thus, he succeeds in forming a five-member band—Deepak Dobriyal, Gippy Grewal, Rajesh Sharma and Inaamulhaq.
Lucknow Central is a better effort than the earlier released prison drama about a band, Qaidi Band. It had unconvincing jail break scenes and actors who couldn't pull off the characters. In this, the supporting cast puts up a great performance. Akhtar as Kishen, even with all his sincere efforts, is far from convincing. Ronit Roy delivers of one of the best performances as the jailer of Lucknow Central. His command over the language of the Moradabad heartland is also a plus.
Overall, the effort of debutante director Ranjit Tiwari is sincere, trying to create a prison drama with the tropes of it. The art direction is strong and believable. The ending, though, seems abrupt and thoughtless. What, however, gives the film a soul is its message of reformation. Based on a true story of a prison band, Healing Hearts, the film lives up to the message that reformation can change lives.
Film: Lucknow Central
Director: Ranjit Tiwari
Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Ronit Roy, Diana Penty, Deepak Dobriyal, Inaamulhaq
Rating: 2.5/5
