Diana Penty on replacing Kriti Sanon in ‘Lucknow Central’

Rumours were rife that Kriti Sanon had been signed for the forthcoming Farhan Akthar starrer ‘Lucknow Central’. However, Diana Penty was eventually brought on board after Sanon couldn’t accommodate. Penty has spoken about how she bagged the role.

As Pune Mirror reports, Sanon had been on the radar for the film that will mark the directorial debut of Ranjit Tiwari. However, the role has been given to Penty instead. Dodging the question about how she came to replace Sanon, Penty spoke about how the project came to her, “It all happened within three days of my meeting with Nikkhil (Advani) and him briefly telling me about the film. His brief immediately piqued my interest and I agreed to meet Ranjit the next day for a complete narration. Once I heard it, I knew this was a story I wanted to be part of. We did a reading the day after and before I knew it, I had landed the role and was shooting for the look test.”

Already having had a few meetings with the cast members, the actress went on to talk about Akhtar himself. “I have always respected him as an actor, director, writer, musician and producer. I have so much to learn from him. He’s one of the reasons I said yes to the project.”

The story, based on true events, is about a group of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, who start a band in Lucknow Central Jail. Through their music they all gain pride and a sense of respect. Apparently the makers wanted to shoot some of the scenes in the jail itself, however due to their permission not being granted by the jail officials, they have to now rely on a set. “So far, we’ve only shot in Mumbai’s Film City. Our art directors, Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty, have made an amazingly realistic set of the actual jail. The only complaint has been the unusual heat, the actress went on to express.

Penty will be seen playing the role of an NGO worker who helps and supports the jail and its inmates. The film also stars Ronit Roy and Gippy Grewal.