Lucknow Central: Akhtar caught in a bind

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal, Deepak Dobriyal, Ronit Roy, Inaamulhaq, Rajesh Sharma

Rated: 4/10

For one, Farhan Akhtar looks like no Moradaabadi launda. He is much too chic and sophisticated in his body language to qualify as a small town lad. Two, the film, though inspired by a real-time jail band, fails to keep you behind bars.

If the story of a jail band in the making does not inspire you, there is something inherently wrong with it. Lucknow Central is afflicted by a strange kind of insipidity even though it floats over interesting characters and a totally riveting jailor played to the hilt by Ronit Roy.

Akhtar, accused of a murder he does not commit, spends two years in a jail awaiting the final verdict by the High Court. Bearing the atrocities that come with jailing, he looks unconvincing as someone who can grin and bear the baddies and beatings.

Also, the main theme of the film – the making of a jail band – gets relegated to the background. And if that is not enough, it also gets annoyingly caricaturised. And then, suddenly the band members who could not sing a line in consonance, put up a more than brilliant performance!

Continuity would have been welcome as also a better storyline.

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 17 September, 2017