Lucknow Central
2017 · Directed by Ranjit Tiwari
Original language: Hindi
- drama
- action
- thriller
The story
After being accused of murder and awaiting his death penalty, Kishen Mohan Girhotra is compelled by NGO worker Gayatri Kashyap to form a musical band of prisoners to compete at band competition held at the dreaded jail of ‘Lucknow Central’. Kishen befriends and convinces a talented bunch of criminals to form a band that provides them with a purpose and a new lease of life.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached prison yards, cracked concrete and iron gates under hard daylight, with warm, dusty earth tones that soften into lamplit cells at night. The camera stays close and mobile during the rehearsal scenes, then widens to show the jail's grim scale. Music carries the film: rough, enthusiastic practice sessions in echoing corridors give way to fuller performance numbers that fill the frame with sound. The vibe is hopeful and scrappy, with a thread of tension running beneath it. Pacing is brisk and crowd-pleasing, moving between dry humour, camaraderie and sudden flashes of threat. The violence is real but brief, including a prison fight and moments of institutional cruelty, and the death-penalty stakes create some dread, though there is no gore. Its arcs follow hardened men slowly finding purpose and trust in one another. It suits a Sunday afternoon or a feel-good evening for viewers who enjoy underdog stories, music-driven uplift and the warmth of an ensemble, and who can handle some grit.
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