Lucknow Central
Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Gippy Grewal, Diana Penty, Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Inamulhaq
Directed by: Ranjit Tiwari
Rating: **** ½ (4 and a half stars)
“You don’t get justice in the world , you only get good luck or bad luck,” a wise old librarian(pronounced ‘lee-bray-nian’ by his Lucknowi singer-son) quotes Orson Welles.
Our good luck, then, that we get a prison drama as taut and thrilling, relevant and resonant as Lucknow Central right in the middle of the year when things are looking bloody bleak in Bollywood.
Yes, there is hope. Lucknow Central is by far the most engaging thinking-man’s thriller of the year. Ballsy and brave, it penetrates the politics of prison life without relinquishing the right to engage us in a solid storytelling spree where a clever cat-and-mouse game is played out between a sadistic jailor(Ronit Roy, in top form) and a non-guilty prisoner(Farhan Akhtar) who is hellbent on getting his liberty at any cost.
The smartly thoughtfully written script(by Ranjit Tiwari, Aseem Arora) delves into the dynamics of freedom and comes up with a super-chic musical with wings that often allow vivid characters to fly higher than prison dramas generally do in India.
Undoubtedly Lucknow Central is a prison-break drama on a par with Franklin Schaffener’s 1973 classic Papillon and certainly superior in its intellectual political and spiritual ramifications to the overrated Shawshank Redemption.
Redemption in Lucknow Central is a scarce commodity. This, its protagonist Kishen discovers as he journeys from a dreamer in the streets of a small town in UP, to a convict within 20 minutes of this gripping film’s playing-time.
Debutant director Ranjit Tiwari is an astoundingly selfassured storyteller. For a debutant he shows scant regard for commercial trappings.When was the last time we saw a prison drama without an item song? Or a film about injustice where the hero doesn’t get to raise his voice or lower his fists on corrupt jaws? Farhan Akhar’s Kishen is so soft-hearted and kind , we wonder how he will survive in prison for a crime he never committed.
Early on there is heart-stopping sequence of prison violence where Kishen is offered ‘protection’ by an imposing goon(Manav Vij, wordlessly sinister).
“I already have protection,” Kishen says pointing to his packet of Nirodh(on screen advertisement? There is more of that later for an online shopping brand).
Farhan plays Kishen as a dreamer-musician coping with a crisis beyond his comprehension or endurance but determined to slum it out even if it means breaking some laws. This is his bravest most soul-baring performance to date. Scenes of his breakdown in solitary confinement will remain with us long after the last episode of Prison Breakis over.
The steel-willed screenplay provides Farhan with solid support, flinging forth one deftly written scene after another.Early on in one of the most authentic courtroom scenes I’ve seen in an Indian film since Chaitanya Tamhane’sCourt and Vetrimaran’s Visaaranai the smirking Judge’s verdict on Kishen’s faith will shock you by its sheer casualness.
Let’s not beat around the bush, an indulgence that this film is assuredly not guilty of thanks to Charushree Roy’s editing which weaves in and out of the inmates’ lives with the expertise of a trapeze artiste. What starts off as Farhan’s story soon becomes the story of four other prison inmates each played by an actor who has rare insight into human nature and the conditions that impose themselves on a man’s free will rendering his actions unacceptable to society.
Talent like Rajesh Sharma, Imaanulhaq and Deepak Dobriyal never lets a film down. Here they have so much meat to chew on , it is feast of fury for them. As Farhan’s band-baja party they are seasoned troupers in a particularly inspired environment. And when Gippy Garewal joins them as a Sardarji pining for his sweetheart singing soul-penetrating songs of separation, we know we are in this for keeps.
Then there Ravi Kissen a hoot as UP’s calm,cynical Chief Minister with a sense of humour who keeps reminding khaki-clad bureaucrats that the journey from officer to traffic police is just a signature way. God knows we need jokey politicians to get through presentday politics.
Lucknow Central sucks is into its human drama. It gives a flying hoot about commercial trappings, keeps the frames stark , bare and daunting. No concession is made to glamorous props.And if Diana Penty playing a kind ofselfimportant activist prison-reformist that would otherwise seem satirical, happens to be naturally glamorous, it’s just too bad.
Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray looks for corners and crevices in the human heart to shoot feelings behind prison walls. When in the second-half the flexible narrative moves effortlessly into a philosophical mode we are prepared for the transition much in the same way that Kishen prepares himself for prison life.
An ongoing sense of inclusiveness runs through the film.We feel so much part of the goings-on that we cry, laugh , sing and dance with Kishen and his four band members . Their Kabootar song in the prison compound is arguably the best choreographed dance number seen in a Hindi film in recent times.
It looks so unrehearsed so spontaneous ….just like the film where the characters probably existed long before the writer and director thought about them. We just didn’t know.Or care.

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Pink Director’s Next Featuring Yami As A Crime Reporter To Stream From February 16

Anniruddha Roy Chowdhury whose Pink featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu was one of the most important films of 2016, is all set to release his next Hindi film.
Entitled Lost, Anniruddha’s film , based on true events, will see Yami Gautam Dhar(that’s what the actress calls herself after her marriage) as a crime journalist. LOST is an emotional social thriller that represents a higher quest, a search for lost values of empathy and integrity.
Inspired by true events, Lost is a story of a bright young woman crime reporter in her relentless search for the truth behind the sudden disappearance of a young theatre activist.

Lost
Says Aniruddha “The shoot of LOST has been an incredible journey. I have been eager for the release of our hard-worked venture. The film is a realistic highlight of media in a social context and I am sure that it will give the audience a compelling watch. I am curious about its release and see the responses it shall get. I hope they will welcome it with open hearts.”
Yami Gautam Dhar who plays the lead of the crime reporter says, “I can’t be happier and more proud of the film’s selection for the opening night at CSAFF. I feel like its one that the people will connect to and will be the one that you cannot miss, especially in the current age and time. I have loved playing this role because it was such a special experience, it allowed me to explore so many layers of emotions as an actor and the entire team has worked really hard on it. I genuinely cannot wait for the film’s release, especially to see the reactions of the audience to it.”
The crime investigation drama boasts a stellar cast. Along with Yami, the film will feature Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, and an ensemble of younger talent, including Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpai, and Tushar Pandey, in pivotal roles.
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Jamuna Had A Love-Hate Relationship With Bollywood

Veteran Telugu actress Jamuna who passed away on Friday, shared an uneasy relationship with the Hindi film industry.She did eleven Hindi films including the iconic Milan in 1967 where Jamuna agreed to play the second lead, or the supporting role if you will, to Nutan.
Jamuna as Gauri was the Other Woman who craved for the hero Sunil Dutt’s attention whereas he had eyes and devotion only for Nutan. In later years Aruna Irani played a similar role in Caravan.
In Milan Jamuna was not keen to do a supporting role. Producer L V Prasad tempted her with three chartbusting songs. Besides, Jamuna had played the same role in Mooga Manasulu, the Telugu original of Milan. But it was the songs composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal which convinced Jamuna to take up the second lead in Milan.
While Nutan had no solo songs in Milan, she did have the chartbuster duet Sawan ka mahina . Jamuna on the other hand, had two splendid Lata Mangeshkar solos: Tohey saawariya naahin khabariya and the magnificent Ghazal Aaj dil pe koi zor chalta nahin.Not only these, Jamuna also had a hit duet with Mukesh based on her character Gauri: Bol Gauri bol tera kaun piya.
But then, fate intervened. After the film released one of Jamuna’s solos, the poignant and memorable Aaj dil pe koi zor chalta nahin was snipped out of the film.
Here is what happened: the Ghazal , one of Lataji’s all-time greats, was very much a part of Milan when it released on 17 March 1967. But then it was seen to hamper the flow of the film and edited out. The beautiful song occurred right after intermission. Producer Prasad, a shrewd filmmaker, got to know that audiences prolonged their loo breaks as there was a song after the break. Hence the sacrifice of a seriously sonorous melody.
Jamuna hardly did Hindi films after Milan. Her last Bollywood appearance was in Raj Kumar Kohli’s Raj Tilak where she was lost in a multistarrer as the royal queen.
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Karan Johar Moves Alia Song From Switzerland To Kashmir

The romantic duet in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani which was to be shot in Switzerland and which was delayed due to the film’s leading lady Alia Bhatt’s motherhood, is now being relocated to Kashmir.
Purely out of the love for new mom Alia.
Says a source in the know, “Karan loves Alia like his own daughter. He would do anything for her. He postponed the release of Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani as the love duet could not be shot before Alia’s maternity leave. Karan had decided to shoot the song in Switzerland after Alia’s maternity love. But now he has relocated the song to Kashmir as Alia doesn’t want to leave her baby girl behind for long stretches.”
And as Karan Johar argued, snow is snow. How does it matter whether it is Switzerland or Kashmir?
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Bobby says it is not conscious career decision to play negative characters but a conscious decision to play interesting characters. “ I don’t look at characters as positive or negative.When I watch films there is always one character that stays with you. I want to play that character.”
Prakash Jha’s Ashram proved a gamechanger for Bobby. He admits finding challenging roles is tough. “I am trying. I am doing Sandeep Vanga’s Animal with Ranbir Kapoor , Parineeti Chopra. Then I am doing the family film Apne 2 which I am very excited about.”
In an earlier interview with this writer Bobby spoke about his long absence from screen before Prakash Jha’s Ashram. “My fans would ask why I wasn’t being seen on the screen.And I couldn’t tell them it was because I wasn’t getting good roles. But my fans stood by me. They gave me the strength to keep looking for the right roles. Thankfully I found the roles I liked. My new films have given me some new fans. I am thankful I am still here. Yeah , I am in a good space right now.”
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