Diana Penty walks out upon arriving at Jodhpur airport to shoot her upcoming movie “Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran,” in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, June 15. (Sunil Verma/AFP/Getty Images)

Diana Penty will be next seen in “Lucknow Central,” which is inspired by a true story, and the actor says she likes being part of films that are based on real-life incidents.

Set against the backdrop of a jail, “Lucknow Central” features Farhan Akhtar as a prisoner who forms a band along with other jail inmates.

“I have always wanted to be a part of stories that I have felt strongly about and ‘Lucknow Central’ is one such story. I instantly took to it when Nikkhil Advani (producer) told me about it.

“Playing Gayatri (her character) after my last release ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ was refreshing. And I like the idea of being part of a story that is based on true events,” Diana told PTI.

The film also stars Deepak Dobriyal, Ronit Roy, Rajesh Sharma, and Punjabi actor-singer Gippy Grewal.

For the first time, the “Cocktail” actor has teamed up with Farhan for a film.

“Farhan is a multi-talented person. I have always had great respect for him as an actor, director, writer, musician and producer. So, it was a great learning experience working with him.”

In “Lucknow Central” Diana plays an NGO worker and is seen sporting a non-glamorous look.

“Ranjit Tiwari (director) and Nikkhil were very clear on how they envisioned Gayatri, they wanted her to be real and relatable. Our attempt was to make her a girl you possibly know or have met at least once in your life,” she says.

“I have interacted and worked with NGOs in the past, so I had a brief idea of how I could play her. But I didn’t want her to be stereotypical either, so I decided to bring a little of myself to the character,” she adds.

The film is produced under Nikkhil’s banner Emmay Entertainment and it will mark directorial debut of Ranjit Tiwari.