news
Freedom at Midnight is powered by actors who boldly and painstakingly bring the imposing historical figures to life, rather than A-list celebrities.
By combining elements of fiction and imagination with a strong sense of historical accuracy, showrunner and director Nikkhil Advani brings the agonising final stage of India’s freedom struggle to the screen in Freedom of Midnight, which was based on a script written by a group of six writers.
The StudioNext and Emmay Entertainment-produced drama series on SonyLIV is painstakingly designed. The architects of a free nation forged in fire during a time of great upheavals were able to combine grandeur and intimacy, precision and sustained gravitas, and a keen understanding of the timeless contemporaneity of political decisions with far-reaching consequences.
Although the main narrative of Freedom at Midnight only covers two years and ends with the uncertain future that a newly independent India stares at amid the Partition riots, the work is vast and primarily based on the 1975 book of the same name by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.
Despite having hundreds of actors, Freedom at Midnight focusses on a few men and a woman or two who spearheaded the difficult and drawn-out process of negotiating the transfer of power, which was unavoidably full of conflict and back and forth.
Advani has come a long way as a filmmaker and storyteller since the re-release of his 2003 directorial debut, Kal Ho Naa Ho. His Rocket Boys gives Freedom at Midnight the solemnity it requires.
The director’s artistic decisions are excellent. His available actors are ideally suited to the project’s requirements. Additionally, the show’s technical qualities are all excellent. Together, they not only make sure that the solemn subject matter remains the centre of attention, but they also make sure that the endeavour is not burdened.
You will find it difficult to criticise the points of emphasis and the lines of argument that Advani’s interpretation of events employs, regardless of your political inclinations and the extent to which WhatsApp forwards have influenced your knowledge of history. This is because Advani’s interpretation is evidently based on extensive research and a book that, with a few exceptions, got everything right.
If there is one thing wrong with Freedom at Midnight, it is that each of the main dramatic characters is placed inside a rigid ideological block that symbolises a particular way of thinking that is used to create conflict and drama against the whirling forces of history.
Jinnah is an unwavering supporter of a separate country for Muslims; Gandhi is the wise man; Nehru is an idealist dedicated to the concept of a united India; and Patel is pragmatic and thinks it is acceptable to amputate a hand in order to save an arm. There is not much room in the show for these extraordinary men to fall victim to human inconsistencies.
The actors who bravely and meticulously bring the tall historical figures mentioned above to life, rather than A-list celebrities, are the driving force behind Freedom at Midnight. Even though they may not all resemble the leaders they portray, they do a challenging job of persuading us that they are the men they represent.
With his portrayal of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sidhant Gupta, who first gained recognition as a young filmmaker in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee, adds yet another feather to his cap.
Even though he finds it difficult to comprehend the idea of splitting the subcontinent in two, the show portrays India’s first prime minister as a dapper lawyer who is completely comfortable in the rough and tumble of politics. It is truly amazing that Gupta, an actor in his thirties, can portray Nehru in his late fifties with such consistency.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Chawla excels in every way. He is portrayed as a tough guy who is ready to accept the idea of partition because he wants to prevent the seeds of religious mistrust and hatred from spreading throughout the nation.
The choice of Chirag Vohra to play Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is audacious. He wins over the audience once the wall of disbelief is broken, so it works.
Arif Zakaria’s portrayal of a tubercular Mohammed Ali Jinnah is at the other extreme. The actor never fails to impress, even though the character lacks depth. Despite being the least conflicted of the main characters in Freedom at Midnight, Zakaria is able to instill important angularities in him.
Jinnah dismisses Fatima (Ira Dubey), his younger sister, as saying that regional identity is more powerful than religious identity, without allowing the argument to continue. Fatima is one of the few women in the cast who is not marginalised. He only moves in one direction, which deprives the portrayal of subtlety.
However, that is not the series’ biggest flaw overall. Freedom at Midnight presents a composite of resonant, timeless ideas while choosing sustained engagement over simple entertainment as it navigates the battlefield where the struggle between opposing ideas of nation and identity took place.
No historical drama can be deemed successful unless it contains within its folds the lessons that are to be learnt from the watersheds that shape nations, communities, and political formations. The consequences of decisions made under duress and in response to raging conflicts are a recurring theme in Freedom at Midnight.
The series contains numerous insightful asides that serve as a commentary on the realities of our times, despite the fact that it portrays events that took place more than 75 years ago.
But even if one were to overlook these sharp realities about overcoming the burden of foreign domination, upholding morals in the face of serious provocations, and the conflict between duty and power, Freedom at Midnight would still captivate viewers with its portrayal of a country trying to regain its footing on perilously precarious ground.
It tells a story full of known and unknown facts that are processed sensitively and skilfully, in addition to being skilfully written and performed. It lacks the hectoring, hollering, and grandstanding that characterise mainstream Bollywood.
The programme honours history by painstakingly assembling the pieces that contributed to the creation of a vital and amazing, if unavoidably flawed, whole.
- Cast:
- Sidhant Gupta, Chirag Vohra, Rajendra Chawla, Arif Zakaria, Ira Dubey, and Luke McGibney
- Director:
- Nikkhil Advani