Farhan Akhtar on ‘Lucknow Central’: It was easy for me to play this character

Actor Farhan Akhtar who plays the role of a man from UP in his soon-to-release movie ‘Lucknow Central’ didn’t face any difficulties in portraying the character, all thanks to his roots. Speaking about the same, he said, “I would like to say it was easier for me to play this character compared to Milkha’s character because my father is from Lucknow. In the house when we converse it’s mostly in Urdu so the dialect is somewhat different in Moradabad but the basic language is the same. So I was very comfortable to speak the way Kishen Mohan Girhotra did. Milkha was challenging for me because he hails from Punjab. So I had to follow the Punjabi dialect and I’m not even remotely related to Punjabi, so that was way more challenging. That is because in the house we normally talk in Hindi, Urdu so that made it easier for me to get into the skin of this character.” (Also Read: Pics: Farhan, Diana, Taapsee, Kriti and others attend ‘Lucknow Central’ special screening)

Meanwhile, director Ranjit Tiwari recently revealed his inspiration behind ‘Lucknow Central’. He said, “Around three years ago, I read an article about an annual day programme and music competition, started by the state government for jail inmates as an initiative for their reformation. Six to seven central jails in Uttar Pradesh participated in the contest. The idea blew my mind and I discussed it with director Nikhil Advani, whom I was assisting at that time. Eventually, he and Farhan (Akhtar) joined hands for the project. In the course of my research, when I went to the jail to meet the band, I realised that all criminals are not hardened; some of them are victims of circumstances. Saare qaidi bure nahi hote. I’ve seen a lot of jails in the country, which are working hard to reform inmates because, after their sentence, they deserve a second chance at life.”

Helmed by Ranjit Tiwari, the movie also stars Diana Penty and will be releasing on September 15, 2017.

Prajakta Ajgaonkar

Passionate about writing, and a Bollywood lover, she is all that is sweet and endearing! She desires to put her best foot forward in everything that she does and loves to help anyone who’s in need.