After being the creative force behind shows like The Empire and Rocket Boys, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani’s tryst with history continues with the upcoming SonyLIV series, Freedom at Midnight. The period-drama, based on the 1975 book of the same name by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, chronicles the events that occurred at the cusp of Independence and which finally culminated in the horrors of Partition.
The show has an ensemble cast, consisting of Jubilee-fame (2023) Siddhant Gupta (as Jawaharlal Nehru), Chirag Vohra (as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi), Arif Zakaria (as Muhammad Ali Jinnah), Rajendra Chawla (as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel), Ira Dubey (as Jinnah’s sister Fatima) and RJ Malishka (as Sarojini Naidu), among others.
We spoke to Nikkhil about the show’s inception, his attempt at demystifying historical figures and how he remains neutral while depicting history in such divided times. Siddhant, Arif, and Chirag, on the other hand, delved into the actors’ processes of embodying real-life personalities.
Excerpts:
Generally, films or series about the freedom struggle are about resistance against the British. This show is about a peculiar time when it was being decided which direction a newly formed country would take. Was that something that interested you to take this up?
Nikkhil Advani: It was mainly the book (Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins). I liked how it doesn’t take itself too seriously. After Rocket Boys, which explored the themes of nation-building, we wanted to do something that delves into the incredible and tough decisions the forefathers of our country had to take. Freedom at Midnight felt like a step in the right direction.
When it comes to web series, historicals seem to allure you. Before this, you had The Empire and Rocket Boys….
NA: I am a history junkie. My favourite podcast is Empire (by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand). In fact, I have spent all the money I made on the books they recommend in the podcast (laughs). The funny bit was that in the first episode of the podcast, Dalrymple trashed the Freedom at Midnight book.
This gets me thinking, was there a mandate for everyone to read the book before coming on set?
NA: I think I asked but everyone refused (laughs).
Sidhant Gupta: I actively avoided it. I didn’t want to be influenced.
When it comes to playing real-life people, some actors are very particular about encapsulating the mannerisms of the person they are playing, while others take a more liberal approach. How did you guys go about it?
SG: For me, it was important to align my thinking with that of my character (of Jawaharlal Nehru). Once that happened everything started to align itself, be it the nuances or his husky voice. The aim was to be as close to the character as possible. Whenever I was in the costume, I actually believed I was Jawaharlal Nehru.
Arif Zakaria: From what I heard and what I researched about Jinnah, his manner of speaking was like a bark, because he gave commands. Even when he talks to his sister (Fatima, played by Ira Dubey) a seemingly normal conversation sounds like he is giving orders. I tried to incorporate that. He was also frail and ailing, so my performance needed a certain physicality. Also, he was a chain smoker. I bundled up these little things to develop the character.
Chirag Vohra: My approach was to watch all YouTube videos of Gandhi and try to imbibe his body language. I observed that the way he punctuated certain words was very odd. While performing, I tried to incorporate that while ensuring that this quirk didn’t overpower the scene.
Nikkhil, do you prefer your actors to be well-researched and prepared on set or would you like them to be more spontaneous?
NA: He (Chirag) is talking about watching YouTube videos but whenever he came on set, I only asked him to lift his shirt up to see how much weight he had lost (laughs). My job as a director was to demystify these great personalities (Nehru, Jinnah and Gandhi) and the burden that comes with playing them. I want my actors to be more in the moment.
Depicting history in the current environment, when people have polarising opinions about Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah, comes with a lot of responsibility. A lot of times filmmakers tend to villainize rather than humanize. How did you manage to be neutral?
NA: I think it becomes easier when the history is well-documented. The tagline of the show reads, “Sacrifice of many and the ambition of one.” I shot every scene with a lens of this core idea. A big part of Fatima (Jinnah’s sister) was to humanize Jinnah’s character. To understand his complexities and insecurities. Jinnah was a man who always compared himself to Gandhi and that was the centre of his personality. There is a pertinent line in the show where Sarojini (Naidu) describes Jinnah to an All India Radio (AIR) announcer as a rising star. The latter asks, “Then what happened?”. “Well, the sun rose,” she replies. The stars have to fade when the sun comes up.
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