# Lucknow Central
**Lucknow Central** is a 2017 Hindi-language prison drama-thriller directed by Ranjit Tiwari, in which [Farhan Akhtar](https://www.edgepedia.org/farhan-akhtar) plays Kishen Mohan Girhotra, an aspiring singer from [Moradabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/moradabad) who is framed for the murder of an IAS officer (Indian Administrative Service, elite government civil servant) and, while awaiting a death-penalty trial in Lucknow Central Jail, joins a band of prisoners formed for an inter-jail music competition while secretly planning an escape.[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Lucknow_Central?hl=en_IN&id=pXsrli1Ue7o) [Diana Penty](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-penty) plays Gayatri Kashyap, the NGO worker tasked with forming the band, and the supporting cast includes Ronit Roy, Gippy Grewal, Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Inaamulhaq, and Ravi Kishan.[3](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/kishangarh/lucknow-central/ET00050941) The film was produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Emmay Entertainment and released in Indian theaters on 15 September 2017.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central) • [1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 15 September 2017 (India), Hindi, certificate U/A[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) • [5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Lucknow-Central/movieshow/61292306.cms) |
| Director and writers | Ranjit Tiwari (his debut feature), with Aseem Arora as screenwriter[6](https://scroll.in/reel/850687/lucknow-central-film-review-freedom-and-music-in-an-absorbing-prison-drama) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central) |
| Runtime | 147 minutes (2h 27m) per Box Office India, JustWatch, and BookMyShow; Rotten Tomatoes and Apple TV list 2h 13m[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3605) • [5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Lucknow-Central/movieshow/61292306.cms) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central) |
| India box office | ₹2.04 cr opening day; ₹10.42 cr first week; ₹11.20 cr lifetime net, classified a flop[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/box-office/) |
| Critical scores | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 40% (5 reviews), Popcornmeter 27%; IMDb 6.2/10 from about 3.2k votes[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5697870/) |
| Basis | Inspired by the true story of Healing Hearts, a band formed by inmates at the Adarsh Karagar prison on the outskirts of Lucknow[10](https://wogma.com/movie/lucknow-central-review/) |
| Streaming (India) | Amazon Prime Video and JioHotstar (including with ads); rent or buy on the Apple TV Store[11](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/lucknow-central) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Kishen Mohan Girhotra is a young man from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, who sings at weddings and saves money to record his own album.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5697870/plotsummary/) He is framed for the murder of an IAS officer, sentenced to life imprisonment, and after 18 months is shifted to Lucknow Central Jail, where he awaits a High Court trial that could bring the death penalty.[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Lucknow_Central?hl=en_IN&id=pXsrli1Ue7o)
The state's chief minister, Pawan Singh Chaturvedi ([Ravi Kishan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravi-kishan)), wants a band of prisoners formed at Lucknow Central to perform at Independence Day celebrations and compete against bands from other [Uttar Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/uttar-pradesh) prisons, and the IG Prisons (Virendra Saxena) assigns the task to NGO worker Gayatri Kashyap.[13](https://filminformation.com/reviews/lucknow-central/) • [1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) Kishen joins and recruits four fellow inmates: Victor Chattopadhyay ([Deepak Dobriyal](https://www.edgepedia.org/deepak-dobriyal)), Parminder Singh Gill (Gippy Grewal), Purushottam Madan Pandit (Rajesh Sharma), and Dikkat Ansari (Inaamulhaq).[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) While the band gives the prisoners purpose, Kishen's real aim is to escape, and the jailer, Raja Shrivastava (Ronit Roy), proves difficult to fool.[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) • [3](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/kishangarh/lucknow-central/ET00050941)
## Production and release
The film was the debut feature of director Ranjit Tiwari, written by Aseem Arora, and was backed by Emmay Entertainment, whose co-founder [Nikkhil Advani](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikkhil-advani) said the project began when Tiwari brought an article to the company.[6](https://scroll.in/reel/850687/lucknow-central-film-review-freedom-and-music-in-an-absorbing-prison-drama) • [14](https://businessofcinema.com/bollywood_news/exclusive-nikkhil-advani-6-years-emmay-entertainment-threat-calls-baazaar-much/399202) Producers were Monisha Advani, Nikkhil Advani, Ajit Andhare, and Madhu Bhojwani, alongside Viacom18 Motion Pictures.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central) Music was composed by Arjunna Harjaie, Rochak Kohli, and [Tanishk Bagchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanishk-bagchi), with songs including "Kaavaan Kaavaan," "Meer-E-Kaarwan," and "Rangdaari"; the film received one nomination at the [Mirchi Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/mirchi-music-awards).[15](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/lucknow-central-7542.html) • [16](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lucknow-central/)
## Reception
**Box office.** Lucknow Central opened alongside the [Kangana Ranaut](https://www.edgepedia.org/kangana-ranaut) film *Simran*, and both opened weakly, at around 12 percent occupancy.[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/) The film collected ₹20.4 million (₹2.04 crore) on its opening day and ₹84.2 million (₹8.42 crore) over the opening weekend, reaching ₹104.2 million (₹10.42 crore) by the end of week one and ₹112 million (₹11.20 crore) lifetime net in India; Bollywood Hungama's box office report classifies the performance as a flop, with worldwide gross of ₹166 million (₹16.6 crore).[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/box-office/)
**Critics.** Aggregated critical reception was mixed to negative: TheReviewMonk's tally of 21 reviews included 19 scored ones, counting 8 positive, 5 mixed, and 6 negative, with an average score of 5.3.[17](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/lucknow-central/) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 40 percent Tomatometer from 5 reviews and a 27 percent Popcornmeter audience score from fewer than 50 ratings.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central)
Reviewers consistently praised the supporting cast. Shubhra Gupta of *The Indian Express*, rating the film 2 stars, wrote that "it is the supporting cast which is spot on, especially Rajesh Sharma and Deepak Dobriyal," while faulting the storytelling's mawkish sentimentality.[18](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/lucknow-central-movie-review-farhan-akhtar-diana-penty-deepak-dobriyal-star-rating-4841867/lite/) Namrata Joshi of *The Hindu* similarly wrote that the "so-called 'supporting' cast becomes the spine" of the film.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central) Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in called it a mostly absorbing debut that coasts on strong performances, though she criticized the overwritten build-up, overblown climax, and 147-minute length.[6](https://scroll.in/reel/850687/lucknow-central-film-review-freedom-and-music-in-an-absorbing-prison-drama)
Common criticisms included plot holes, a weak climax, and underdeveloped characterization. Rajeev Masand called the film far too long and dull, writing that "a better title for Lucknow Central might have been Boredom Central."[17](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/lucknow-central/) Raja Sen of NDTV pointed to plotting failures, noting that prisoners stashed fake police uniforms in a drum set their band never played.[17](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/lucknow-central/) The Quint's review scored it 1.5 out of 5, singling out "Meer-e-Karwan," composed by Rochak Kohli, as the one song that held up.[19](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/lucknow-central-movie-review)
**The Qaidi Band comparison.** Several critics noted the film's close similarity to *Qaidi Band*, a prison-band film released a few weeks earlier in August 2017. Gupta asked whether the shared premise was "a fully 'filmi' ittefaq, or a sinister story swap," while judging Lucknow Central the slightly better film.[18](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/lucknow-central-movie-review-farhan-akhtar-diana-penty-deepak-dobriyal-star-rating-4841867/lite/) Rediff's Sukanya Verma wrote that Lucknow Central "builds on an identical premise, but makes fewer mistakes and has superior music," and praised its climax rendition of "Jee Karda," a recreation of the song from *Monsoon Wedding* (2001).[20](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/lucknow-central-review-watchable/20170915.htm)
## True-story basis
The film draws on the story of the Healing Hearts band, formed by prison inmates at the Adarsh Karagar on the outskirts of Lucknow.[10](https://wogma.com/movie/lucknow-central-review/) Reviewer Udita Jhunjhunwala of Firstpost wrote that these origins, along with the film's argument for reformation, "give it soul," even as she called the climax contrived.[10](https://wogma.com/movie/lucknow-central-review/) An audience reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes who investigated the claim found that the real events amounted to a band competition and performances at functions, with the rest of the plot invented.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central)
## Availability
As of the most recent [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) check, the film streams in India on Amazon Prime Video and JioHotstar, including an ad-supported Prime Video tier, and can be rented or bought on the Apple TV Store.[11](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/lucknow-central) In the United States it is available for digital rental from $3.99 and purchase from $9.99 on Apple TV, Google TV, and YouTube, and it is not currently on Netflix there.[21](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/lucknow-central/BesuQoTHlPGUnTVAiAeeM3/where-to-watch/)
## References
1. [Lucknow Central Movie: Review, Release Date, Songs, Music, Trailers, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/)
2. [Lucknow Central, Movies on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Lucknow_Central?hl=en_IN&id=pXsrli1Ue7o)
3. [Watch Lucknow Central Movie Online, BookMyShow Stream](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/kishangarh/lucknow-central/ET00050941)
4. [Lucknow Central, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucknow_central)
5. [Lucknow Central Movie: Showtimes, Review, Songs, Trailer, eTimes, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Hindi/movie-details/Lucknow-Central/movieshow/61292306.cms)
6. ['Lucknow Central' film review: Freedom and music in an absorbing prison drama, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/reel/850687/lucknow-central-film-review-freedom-and-music-in-an-absorbing-prison-drama)
7. [Lucknow Central, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=3605)
8. [Lucknow Central Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/lucknow-central/box-office/)
9. [Lucknow Central (2017), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5697870/)
10. [Lucknow Central, Review, Wogma](https://wogma.com/movie/lucknow-central-review/)
11. [Lucknow Central streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/lucknow-central)
12. [Lucknow Central (2017), Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5697870/plotsummary/)
13. [LUCKNOW CENTRAL, Film Information review by Komal Nahta](https://filminformation.com/reviews/lucknow-central/)
14. [Exclusive: Nikkhil Advani On 6 Years Of Emmay Entertainment, Business Of Cinema](https://businessofcinema.com/bollywood_news/exclusive-nikkhil-advani-6-years-emmay-entertainment-threat-calls-baazaar-much/399202)
15. [Lucknow Central Movie (2017): Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Digit Binge](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/lucknow-central-7542.html)
16. [Lucknow Central, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lucknow-central/)
17. [Lucknow Central (2017) Movie Review, 21 Critic Reviews, TheReviewMonk](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/lucknow-central/)
18. [Lucknow Central movie review: The supporting cast is spot on, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/lucknow-central-movie-review-farhan-akhtar-diana-penty-deepak-dobriyal-star-rating-4841867/lite/)
19. ['Lucknow Central' Review: No Encore For Farhan's Prison Boy Band, The Quint](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/lucknow-central-movie-review)
20. [Lucknow Central Review: Farhan & Co power prison drama, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/lucknow-central-review-watchable/20170915.htm)
21. [Where to Watch Lucknow Central, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/lucknow-central/BesuQoTHlPGUnTVAiAeeM3/where-to-watch/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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