Like anyone who has watched the trailer of Lucknow Central, I was also expecting something on the lines of The Shawshank Redemption / The Great Escape with a little bit of The Sound of Music (remember the escape after the concert) mixed into it, instead what I found was completely different. While the film does have a lead character that is falsely accused of murder, a mean jailer, a well thought out escape plan and music, this is nothing like those other films. This film is more about dreaming big, and never giving up.
The film opens with Kishen (Farhan Akhtar), a happy small town guy who has dreams of making it big as a singer. However life takes a turn for the worst when he is falsely accused of murder and is sentenced to life in prison. But Kishen, who is innocent doesn’t loose hope, until the victim’s family demands a death sentence, which results in Kishen being transferred to Lucknow Central to await trail. Just when all feels lost, hope comes in the form of Gayatri Kashyap (Diana Penty), an NGO worker who is forced to form a Band of Prisoners at Lucknow Central, for a band competition to be held in the infamous prison on Independence Day. How Kishen forms his band, plans their escape, and how the music influences the bandmates and the inmates in general, forms the rest of the film.
The USP of the film is its engaging script, and brilliant performances by the lead characters Farhaan Akhtar, Deepak Dobriyal, Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal, Ronit Roy, Rajesh Sharma, and Inaamulhaq. While Farhaan the director is great, I have to admit, I love Farhaan the actor more. His selection of movies, and performances in almost all his films are incredible, and Lucknow Central is no different. His portrayal of Kishen, an artist and fighter in every sense of the word, is a joy to watch. The way he keeps telling the NGO to keep smiling while he is the one with a bleak future is really heart touching. Another actor I really admire from this cast is Deepak Dobriyal. The first time I noticed Deepak was in Omkara, and I have looked forward to his performances ever since. In Lucknow Central, Deepak steals the show as Victor, the sidekick to the prison gang leader, who helps Kishen form his band.
While I wouldn’t call Lucknow Central flawless, the film definitely shines thanks to some great writing, acting and music. Unlike other prison films that are mostly dark and depressing, Lucknow Central is a very positive film, that teaches you to dream big and always look at the brighter side of life.
My Movie Spotlight 