An Honest Review: Lucknow Central

Movie: Lucknow Central

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Diana Penty, Ronit Roy, Rajesh Sharma, Inaamulhaq, Gippy Grewal, Deepak Dobriyal, Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kisen.

Director: Ranjit Tiwari

Producer: Emmay Entertainment/Viacom 18 motion pictures

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Lucknow Central opens up by introducing us to Kishen Mohan Girhotra (Farhan Akhtar) an aspiring musician who wants to make it big in the music scene with a band of his own. He’s so determined that he even spends all that he has to record a song of his own in a music studio. But, a series of unfortunate events land him up in a local prison cell on the grounds of murdering an IAS officer. After 18 months there, he is being shifted to Lucknow Central jail with an order of a death sentence. Out there, an inter-jail musical competition is going to be held, which has been arranged by an NGO worker Gayatri Kashyap (Diana Penty). Farhan plans an escape on the day of the competition by participating in it. But, he needs a band. Enter Deepak Dobriyal, Inaamulhaq, Gippy Grewal and Rajesh Sharma.  Farhan and others make a great escape plan and become good friends, but, there is a ruthless jailer who is always on a watch (Ronit Roy). Will they be successful?

Talking about the star performances, Farhan Akhtar, who gave us so many memorable performances, surprisingly was not really up to the mark. He has his emotional moments, which were excellent. Diana Penty also failed to impress as an NGO worker who solely wants to reform the prisoners. She hardly had anything to do apart from one scene where she shows some real acting. Ronit Roy did a wonderful job with his acting and accent, as always, but, just like any other movie, he ends up on the losing side. It’s high time that he gets a better script and a more pivotal character. We wanted to see more of Deepak Dobriyal, Inaamulhaq and Rajesh Sharma, who deliver the best scenes in the film. Gippy Grewal seems like a fine talent who unfortunately hasn’t been given a lot of things to work with. He deserved a meatier role. Special appearances, such as that of Ravi Kisen and Manoj Tiwari were fun to see. Ravi Kisen always delivered a hilarious moment.

What we really liked about the film, in general, were the dialogues, the locations, which are as authentic as it gets, and the beautifully made prison set. But, what we didn’t like is the SCRIPT itself. First, Kishen was super-conveniently given a DEATH SENTENCE in a small comfy court by a judge who acted as if it’s his daily work, and, oh, the only evidence that they had was his sketch made by an 8-year-old and a confession from a friend which looked really fake. Until the first half, it’s semi gripping with some genuinely thrilling moments. There is prison politics, two parties clashing and a lot more which was beautiful. Although it was supposed to be Farhan’s story, we became more interested in what happens to other fellow inmates (by this time, band mates) of Farhan Akhtar.. Second half is almost like the first half, but with a half-heartedly shot escape sequence and a very convenient end. At this point, the writers seemed uninterested in doing any further work.

Overall, you can let go of this movie. Watch it only if for the supporting actors and Farhan, if you’re a die-hard fan.