Panaji (Goa) [India], November 22 : Director Nikkhil Advani talked about his series 'Freedom at Midnight', which is based on the events that took place around India's independence and partition.
In a conversation with ANI, he opened up on his research work and why he decided to make this web show. The reference for his project was "'Freedom at Midnight'," a book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre about the events around the Indian independence movement and partition.
He said it is a popular book and many books on history and other subjects are difficult to understand but it touched his heart. "When I was 16 years old, when I was 25 years old, whenever I picked up this book...and I have three copies of this book in my house."
Another book that he referred was brought by his friend, as he recalled at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. "There was one book that my friend bought for me that he got in a small village of England and there were notes of Lord Mountbatten... We also read other stuffs for the research on different events "
The series is a dramatized account of the tumultuous events surrounding India's struggle for independence and the chaotic partition.
The key figures in India's independence movement, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, are brought to life in vivid detail, setting the stage for the series' exploration of this pivotal moment in history.
The drama doesn't shy away from the political complexities of the time, capturing the tensions between the founding fathers of India and the colonial rulers.
He asserted that he wanted to show people the events and decisions that were being taken at the time of independence, " I wanted to do that. I wanted to show, I wanted the audience to come to the same room where these people are taking very difficult decisions."
'Freedom at Midnight' is produced by Emmay Entertainment (Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani) in association with StudioNext.
The series is helmed by Nikkhil Advani, who serves as both the showrunner and director. The writing team behind the series includes Abhinandan Gupta, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Gundeep Kaur, Divya Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, and Ethan Taylor.
The series boasts an ensemble cast. Sidhant Gupta plays Jawaharlal Nehru, while Chirag Vohra takes on the role of Mahatma Gandhi.
Rajendra Chawla stars as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Arif Zakaria portrays Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Other notable cast members include Ira Dubey as Fatima Jinnah, Malishka Mendonsa as Sarojini Naidu, and Rajesh Kumar as Liaquat Ali Khan.
The show also features Luke McGibney as Lord Louis Mountbatten, Cordelia Bugeja as Lady Edwina Mountbatten, Alistair Finlay as Archibald Wavell, and Andrew Cullum as Clement Attlee, among other pivotal roles.
'Freedom at Midnight' is streaming on Sony LIV.
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