Lucknow Central meets the *real* quaidi band

Farhan Akhtar and his team meet their inspiration.

Farhan Akhtar and his Lucknow Central team met up with the men, who were a part of the real band that the film is based on.

Called Healing Hearts, this band was formed in the Adarsh Jail wing of Lucknow Central jail. The band consisted of 12 men, who were sentenced for life imprisonment.

The band was the brainchild of VK Jain, the senior superintendent of Lucknow Central Jail, as a part of jail reforms in 2007. Just like the film, a contest was held in the jail for which funds were released.

With the arrangement of 15 instruments, a few volunteers came forward for the initiative.

An inmate, who hailed from a musically-inclined family, provided leadership due to which the band won the contest.

The win opened doors to opportunities for the band to perform at private parties. 

The film Lucknow Central tells the tale of a group of inmates that form a music band in order to escape jail. Besides Farhan, the film stars Gippy Grewal, Ronit Roy, Deepak Dobriyal, Diana Penty, Rajesh Sharma, Inaam-ul-Haqand Ravi Kishan.