Farhan Akhtar, whose upcoming movie Lucknow Central has us excited, recently released a song in Pune’s Yerwada Jail in the presence of 4000 inmates. It was a great gesture, since we think that even prisoners are human beings who deserve love. No matter whether they have committed the most heinous of crimes, they are serving their punishment, and it’s great if art can bring them some happiness. 

“If you dream and walk towards it, it will come into reality one day. On the other hand, I also think that it is the responsibility of the society to accept you people as a normal citizens and give equal opportunity once you go out of the jail,” Farhan told reporters about being in Yerwada. 

This is not the first time some artist has performed in a prison.

Johnny Cash

Most famously, Johnny Cash wrote a song specially for San Quentin (a jail for the most notorious of criminals), that can still make the hair on your hands stand. 

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra was another well-known artist to have shared his song with prisoners. Frank Sinatra along with the Count Basie Orchestra too performed at the San Quentin prison. In this video, you can see how much fun the prisoners are having especially that guy (1:23) with a huge scar on his face. 

The Sex Pistols

Live at Chelmsford Maximum Security Prison was actually an album and the concert was performed in 1976. 

We hope in the future, many more top Indian and international artists perform in jail and the performance is broadcast live. There is a lot of joy in seeing the faces of suffering people light up for a brief moment because they have heard some music. 

There was a scene in The Shawshank Redemption, where Andy Dufresne plays an opera by Mozart for the joy of prisoners. Seriously, one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history.