Freedom At Midnight Review: The show turns the most controversial page in the history of independence into an interesting political thriller

Freedom At Midnight Review: From media to social media and from crossroads to shops, politics is the most favourite topic of routine banter of the Indian people. And every political discussion invariably reaches that one important night, when the British were going back after 200 years of rule and the people of one country were being divided into two countries.

That night between 14th and 15th August, which we remember today through the iconic speech ‘Tryst with Destiny’ of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Whenever political issues heat up, they definitely reach the threshold of partition where Pakistan was being separated from India. Even after 77 years of independence, this question remains in the minds of the people that did India really need that partition of 1947? Did the partition happen in the right way? Was it justified to create a new country from India on the basis of religion?

Be it critics’ favourite films like ‘Pinjar’, ‘Midnight Children’ and ‘1947’ or popular masala entertainer like ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’… many films have depicted onscreen the tragedy of India-Pakistan partition in the lives of common people. There is often a notion in films that a few people together decided the fate of crores of people.

But what was going on in the minds of those few people? What would those few people who were deciding the fate of crores of people have thought? What was their personal and political struggle? How was that journey from getting the smell of freedom from a distance to reaching the decision of partition for the country’s politics? Sony Liv’s new show ‘Freedom at Midnight’ shows this story.

Nikhil Advani, creator of shows like ‘Mumbai Diaries’ and ‘Rocket Boys’, has also taken the responsibility of directing it himself this time. Nikhil has adapted ‘Freedom at Midnight’ for the screen from a popular book of the same name, which was released in 1975.

What is the theme of the show?

The story of ‘Freedom at Midnight’ begins in 1946, Calcutta (now Kolkata). The first sequence of the show begins with Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation of India. On a journalist’s question about partition, Gandhi replies – ‘My body will be divided before India is divided.’ From this one dialogue, you get to know Gandhi’s view on partition.

The story that begins from here shows the events till June 1947, when the official announcement of partition was made. In the story, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the leaders of the Muslim League are seen fighting to fulfill the ambition of a separate country. The show shows how thousands of people are being killed from Noakhali to Rawalpindi in violent riots sponsored by the Nehru government.

One side is of Jawaharlal Nehru, who jumped into the freedom struggle under the guidance of Gandhi and gradually stands against him. ‘Freedom at Midnight’ shows Sardar Patel in a context that is difficult to digest at first glance for those who believe in his popular political image. Patel, who has been made a side against Nehru in today’s 10-second social media political analysis, is seen in a very warm bonding with him in the show.

In ‘Freedom at Midnight’, Nehru and Patel are seen as two different strong leaders who emerged from the shadow of Gandhi. And then comes the character of Lord Mountbatten in the story. Mountbatten also has a struggle in this show, which is seen while deciding what the departing British will leave behind for India apart from English. His wife Edwina Mountbatten also seems to add a new aspect to all the hustle and bustle.

Which areas of Punjab and Bengal were separated to form Pakistan during the partition? How were those areas decided and for which areas was Jinnah’s Muslim League fighting? What was the role of the governments formed in the elections held before independence and the leaders who got the votes of the people in independence and partition? Who among the fighters who fought for Indian independence was in favour of partition, who was against it and what were their reasons? ‘Freedom at Midnight’ tries to find answers to all these questions.

How successful is the show?

The best thing about the show ‘Freedom at Midnight’ is that its screenplay does not resort to convenient characterization. The story does not seem to be in a hurry to choose its hero or villain. Sardar Patel, who is pitted against Nehru in all political debates today, argues in favor of partition in the show and says that he considers it better to cut off a finger to save the hand. If this scene of the show is presented to someone without any context, he may not believe it. But the biggest success of ‘Freedom at Midnight’ is that the show tries to show these important personalities of Indian history in the totality of their thoughts.

In ‘Freedom at Midnight’, only one side appears to be a clear villain – Jinnah and the Muslim League. Jinnah’s character appears to be very correct according to his historical description. This is a character who pushed crores of people towards a tragedy for his ego. The show tries its best to keep the story centered on the one year in which the decision of partition was finalized. But as per the need, some important events that happened earlier are shown in flashbacks to explain the motivation and ambition of the characters.

For example, to show Jinnah’s ego, there is a flashback of the Congress session of 1920, in which Jinnah is seen getting annoyed with Gandhi’s stature. Jinnah is seen here feeling that his stature is declining due to Gandhi’s entry in the party. In a flashback, the first meeting of Gandhi and Nehru is shown. This show uses flashbacks as a strong tool. A big feature is the use of languages. There are no Englishmen speaking in Hindi unnecessarily in the show. Neither are Gandhi-Nehru-Patel or other Indian leaders seen speaking only in pure Hindi. The characters of the show are seen speaking in Hindi-English-Gujarati-Punjabi as per the need.

However, just as historians and history writing have failed to record the contribution of women characters, Freedom at Midnight also has the same flaw. Sarojini Naidu’s character is only there to deliver a message and make a commentary. Jinnah’s sister, Fatima Jinnah’s character is interesting because of its depth, but she seems to be reduced to just her brother’s caretaker. Edwina Mountbatten has also been left out of the show while being explored.

In Freedom at Midnight, the habit of ‘telling things by telling’ in a filmy style is also very clear at some places, but in most places it is useful in handling the pace of the narrative. Talking about the pace, the first 3 episodes of the show require a little patience from the audience. But as the show moves towards its climax, it seems even better.

Acting Performance

The casting of the actors is another strong point of ‘Freedom at Midnight’. Arif Zakaria is so good in the role of Jinnah that after watching this show, it is possible that people will remember his face when they think of the first President of Pakistan. With his sagging body due to illness, tense body language, eye expressions and tone of speaking, Arif has brought Jinnah to life on screen.

Chirag Vohra has done the same in the role of Gandhi. Few actors have portrayed this character on screen in an iconic way, be it Richard Attenborough or Dilip Prabhavalkar of ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’. But after a few minutes, Chirag’s Gandhi starts to affect you and by the time the show ends, he starts to seem like one of the best onscreen portrayals of Gandhi. Apart from Paresh Rawal’s film, Patel’s character has not been explored much, but Rajendra Chawla’s work in ‘Freedom at Midnight’ is very strong in this role. The character has been played as well as written.

Luke McGibney is also strong in the role of Lord Mountbatten and Rajesh Kumar, who has been typecast in light-humorous roles on TV, has also done an impressive job in the role of Liaquat Ali Khan. Siddhant Gupta does not fit in the role of Nehru at first but gradually he blends into this role with his acting. A constant stroke of sadness in the writing of his character seems a bit strange, but Siddhant’s work is very top-notch.

Direction and small shortcomings

Nikhil Advani’s direction shows mainstream Bollywood sensibility but it also has an eye for details. ‘Freedom at Midnight’ is a drama show at its core and Nikhil has portrayed this aspect very strongly and the show gets stronger as it progresses. It is very important for the prosthetic makeup to be solid in period characters, which is also the case in most places in this show. But there are some shortcomings at some places, although it is not such a big issue that it spoils your experience. There is a slight continuity problem at some places, like at one place the character of Jinnah looks younger than he was 10 years ago.

Overall, ‘Freedom at Midnight’ is another strong show from Sony Liv which opens the saddest chapter of Indian history like an interesting political thriller. A lot has been made on the history of Indian independence, but the part which this show has brought has been explored very little. However, how factually correct the show is is a matter of hard work for those who study history.

Small flaws are definitely visible but they do not disturb. And the biggest feature is that after watching ‘Freedom at Midnight’, you will want to read more about Gandhi-Nehru-Patel, even Jinnah. You will want to understand more deeply the era on which this show is based and this is the success of ‘Freedom of Midnight’.

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