Lucknow Central

You can call it a bromance, comedy, musical or whatever but its a prison movie at the end of the day. Almost the whole movie takes place in one setting. There are very few prison movies made and for a good reason, they are very hard to pull off. It's no Shawshank Redemption but for an Indian movie, it was extremely well made and executed. One of my favorite Indian movies now.

Music is great and goes really well with the plot. Not sure if it's songs you'll listen to outside of the movie but in the movie they work brilliantly. I've found myself on YouTube a few times watching the songs again.

Prison movies usually don't have a lot of characters so you have to make them count. Ronit Roy is not doing the usual. Even though he's played a cop/hard-ass a few times, this one was very well played. Not the clichéd part some are describing it as. The scene where his wife calls him is great and very telling. Pay attention to the details. He definitely enhances the movie. The rest of the cast is great too. You'll recognize some faces even if you don't know the names, other than Farhan. Farhan and Deepak especially stand out. Deepak is always great in the few movies I've seen him in.

A must watch in my opinion if you appreciate Indian cinema. This one is a really under-appreciated movie and I think it'll build a fan base over time due to Netflix, etc.

I am not a professional film critic and hence will not launch into often used adjectives utilised to showcase technical knowledge of film making etc. I am from the core movie watching audience,so will use the language common to that category.

A gripping feel good movie that you can watch with the family. Powerful performances by all. I wonder why it has not done that well in the commercial segment in mumbai at least...according to me..its one of the best movies in the recent past. And stands tall in the crowd of recent big banner flops. I loved the sets, and the songs..Rangdhari..and the competition song with a twist. The casting so spot on!

Trust me, go watch this movie...your time will be well invested. Its rare fresh story for a bollywood hit movie. I hope they come out with more such surprise movies. This should have been a runway hit and a crowd puller!

Inspired from true life events, 'Lucknow Central' is at times a sad, and at times, an uplifting story about living your passion even in the worst stage of life. Directed with honesty by Ranjit Tiwari & winningly acted by its cast, this 2017 flop is actually a good effort that went unnoitced.

'Lucknow Central' Synopsis: Kishan (Farhan Akhtar) is wrongfully imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit & is sent to the Lucknow Central, a dreaded jail. While in prison, he forms a musical band with 4 other inmates, that changes his life forever.

'Lucknow Central', though flawed thanks to its erratic pace, is still an effort that isn't easy to snub. The characters appear real, as does their pain & eventual unity. There is a sense of genuine feeling here. That being said, the pacing plays a spoilsport. The film lacks consistency & the wobbly pace is to be blamed.

Ranjit Tiwari & Aseem Arora's Screenplay is decent, but its impact would've been a lot more had it more crisper & well-paced. Ranjit Tiwari's Direction is satisfactory. Cinematography is good. Editing isn't tight enough. Art & Costume Design are appropriate. The Music offers a few good tunes.

Performance-Wise: Farhan Akhtar does a sincere job. But its Deepak Dobriyal who scores. He's brilliant. Gippy Grewal, Inaamulhaq & Rajesh Sharma lend able support. Ronit Roy is repeating himself. Diana Penty is nice. Ravi Kissen is very entertaining as the slimy minister.

On the whole, 'Lucknow Central' is far from perfect, but its not without its pluses nonetheless.

Lucknow central is a very well directed film though the storyline is very thin, the movie very quickly escalates and takes you right into it but then that is that. Next 2 hrs the movie remains with the same pace until the climax sequence again which will have you at the edge of the seat.

Pros : Direction, Farhans acting ( one man show ), music ( Meer-e Kharwaan especially), Climax.

Cons : Thin story line, needed more nail biting scenes since its about a JailBreak, too many talented artists did not get the room to do much ( Daina penty was amazing in whatever little she had, Deepak dobriyal, Rajesh sharma ) except Ronit Roy who was fab but his portrayal reminds you of all the films that he acted in till now.

What worked: The movie, based on a true incident, makes its impact with its narrative especially with the overall impact at the end of the movie. The movie is light hearted, engaging and enjoyable watch if you keep the brain at rest and just go with the flow of the movie and the story the makers are trying to tell. The cast is great,Ronit Roy and Diana Penty standing out amongst the casts. What did not work: The movie could have been much better in every aspect, primarily in the screenplay. The movie lacks depth of characters, fails to deliver the intent of the movie most of the part of the movie, lacks the creativity that we expect from a thriller, lacks the strong ending though the movie concludes on a happy note. Overall the movie is a tale, a superficial storytelling of the characters and their story at a surface level, but also telling the story keeping the mass pleased. Final verdict: watch it when you are free but not when you are eager to watch a good cinema