Freedom at Midnight might be adapted from Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s very controversial non-fiction book (of the same name) that was published way back in 1975, but even the people who haven’t heard of it do know what it is about. I mean, India’s partition (and subsequent independence from the British rulers) has remained a hot topic of modern history, and people keep talking about it. Quite naturally, Sony Liv’s new series, which sheds light on the tumultuous political and religious climate of India around the years 1946–47, was bound to draw attention from the audience.
Released in the seventy-eighth year of our independence, the Nikhil Advani-created series tells the story of the Partition. Advani, who has had a fascinating career in Bollywood as a writer, director, and producer, directs all seven episodes of the series. Given how engrossed I found myself in it despite knowing what was going to happen, I have to laud Advani’s direction here. That’s not a surprise given the man does have the ability to tell stories. Especially in the OTT space, Advani has already proven his mettle with the very addictive medical thriller Mumbai Diaries 26/11 (2021-2023) and also with the inspirational tale of Homi J. Bhabha-Vikram Sarabhai, Rocket Boys (2022-2023). The latter came from Sony Liv, who have made quite a name over the past five years by telling various kinds of stories of post-independent India’s history, starting from Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992 that was released in 2020. Advani’s latest does seem like another feather in the cap for both the director and the streaming service.
I won’t deny that I was concerned about this one. Not having read the book, I had no idea how it was going to pan out, considering the subject matter. Hindi cinema has a tendency of going overboard when it comes to showing patriotism on screen, and the term ‘Pakistan’ is always a sensitive matter. Add to that, there was always the risk of figures like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel receiving staple biopic treatment and ending up as cardboard characters. But I am glad to tell you that what Advani has pulled off here is pretty remarkable. From the opening scene, where former Viceroy Archibald Wavell calls for the all-important meeting between all the parties (the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League being the two major forces) and their leaders, Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Muhammad Jinnah, to talk about handing over the reins of India, I was glued to the screen.
Perhaps the biggest achievement of this show is it meticulously fleshing out all the major characters and their fundamentally different perspectives about the country and its people before going into the conflicts. Having as many as six writers—Abhinandan Gupta, Gundeep Kaur, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Divya Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, and Ethan Taylor—proves to be really beneficial here, as Freedom at Midnight genuinely shines when the characters are just talking, and that’s most of what happens on-screen. In many ways, it seems like the show has taken a page out of Peter Morgan’s royal family drama The Crown, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the scenes are truly goosebumps-worthy, like the one where Nehru goes to see Jinnah at his residence with the intention of finding a middle ground, but the two end up having an argument over politics, religion, and responsibilities. I would also like to mention the one where Nehru and Vallabhbhai can’t find their way out of the Viceroy House, which yields a very rare light moment in a show that is largely dark and gloomy, as it is supposed to be.
The casting of Sidhant Gupta in the role of Pandit Nehru is bound to surprise most people. There is no doubt over his credibility as an actor, given it was only last year when we saw him as the enigmatic Jai Khanna in Vikram Motwane’s smash hit series about retro Bollywood, Jubilee. But Nehru, for the most part in Freedom at Midnight, is a fifty-six year old man (he was born in 1889), while Gupta, who’s playing him, is just about thirty-five. That said, Gupta’s performance is really commendable, although the bald cap feels a bit jarring sometimes. I still fail to see the logic behind this creative choice, when you could have any actor in his late fifties play the part. Anyway, speaking of Nehru, there are probably thousands of stories regarding his relationship with Vicereine Edwina Mountbatten (apparently, the two used to be more than friends), and this show approaches that in a rather smart manner. Gupta and Cordelia Bugeja (who plays Edwina) do share a pretty natural chemistry on screen.
Coming back to the casting again, Chirag Vohra, who plays Gandhi, had the biggest challenge here. So many actors have already played that part, including Sir Ben Kingsley. Vohra (who also played the younger versions of Mahatma) doesn’t try to do anything out of the box and chooses to stick to the general idea of the man while delivering the performance, which feels a bit animated at times, but I would still say that’s the way to go. In terms of acting, Rajendra Chawla is the pick of the lot with his fantastic portrayal of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. And so does Arif Zakaria, who plays the villainous Muhammad Jinnah. Funny thing is Zakaria, who has family ties with the Congress Party (his brother and uncle both being actively part of it), playing someone who hated the party for their whole life. The rest of the cast of the show is appropriate and does an adequate job.
In the current political climate of our country, something like Freedom at Midnight definitely bears extra importance. Especially with the likes of Kashmir Files—the Kerala Story—the Bengal Chapter, etc., which are more propaganda and less cinema, the existence of Freedom at Midnight feels like the need of the hour. Not only does it criticize Jinnah’s religious politics, which has become a staple for our own government at the moment, but it also serves as a reminder of what men like Gandhi and Nehru truly envisioned for this country. The show does lose its steam in the end, but even then, it should be lauded for what it has managed to achieve.
