Listen to Story Filmmaker and producer Nikkhil Advani opened up about his ambitious historical series, Freedom at Midnight, which released on November 15 on Sony LIV. With a stellar cast featuring Sidhant Gupta, Ira Dubey, Arif Zakaria, and Malishka Mendonsa, the seven-episode series takes a deep dive into the dramatic moments surrounding India's independence and the traumatic aftermath of Partition. Advani, known for his diverse body of work, shared his thoughts on staying true to the story, the responsibility of handling sensitive historical events, and why he believes the portrayal of history in our textbooks needs an overhaul.
One of the key concerns surrounding historical dramas is how audiences will interpret sensitive topics, especially those involving deeply divisive periods in history. When asked if he was concerned about how viewers might respond to the show’s exploration of the Indian independence struggle and Partition, Advani said, "I don’t know why I would be concerned at all. There cannot be a second point of view on the fact that India gained independence on the 15th of August, 1947.
There can’t be any debate on the fact that Partition followed right after." "There were certain people responsible for getting us to that point, and certain events, like a time bomb, exploded all over India. From August 16, 1946, when Muhammad Ali Jinnah called for Direct Action, to January 30, 1948, when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, we witnessed events that led to some .
