The book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre was a bestseller in 1975—Freedom At Midnight told the story of the period just before India attained freedom from British Rule, and went through the cataclysm of Partition.
It is a fascinating and painful chapter of our history, and every new generation needs to be reminded of how hard fought that freedom was. Still, the web series (on SonyLiV), coming out now carries a strange baggage – at a time when the power of the Congress has receded, it gives the party its due; it also has a anti-Muslim tilt, which can be troubling in present times.
All things considered, as the series unfolds, Partition is seen as a clash of ideologies and egos with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru on one side, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the other, with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the pragmatic nationalist.
The seven-part show directed by Nikkil Advani, starts with Mahatma Gandhi (Chirag Vohra) being asked if he would agree to the division of India, and he says, over his dead body. But over the next few months, the wheeling-dealing leaves Gandhi hurt and alienated, unable to prevent Partition. The man who could bring the whole country to a halt with a word is left behind when the negotiations take place.
There are no great revelations here, and the series moves at an unhurried pace, stopping to concentrate on small moments as well as the big clashes that left the country in tatters.
Jinnah (Arif Zakaria) is shown to bear an animosity towards Gandhi for his popularity with the people, and towards the Congress because he feels left out. He wants to be acknowledged as the sole spokesperson of the Muslims in India, and will not stop at anything to reach that goal, never mind how much innocent blood is shed. He gets more inflexible when he learns that he has a terminal illness—he did, in fact, die in 1948, soon after the foundation of Pakistan.
He says he wants a country in which Muslims will not be marginalized, but does not envisage it to be only for Muslims. He pays no heed to assurances by Gandhi and Nehru (Sidhant Gupta), that Muslims will not be treated as second class citizens in Independent India. Gandhi even proposes that Jinnah be made Prime Minister if that would prevent Partition, but is overruled. Patel (Rajendra Chawla), who has put the nation’s interest above his own, and resigned as president of the Congress in favour of Nehru when Gandhi asked, says eventually, that if Pakistan is the only way to get rid of Jinnah, so be it. Maulana Azad (Pawan Chopra) can only look on helplessly.To get Punjab included in the map of the proposed Pakistan, Jinnah “breaks the spirit” of the then Chief Minister KH Tiwana (Harssh Singh).
A reluctant Lord Mountbatten (Luke McGibney) accompanied by his politically savvy wife Edwina (Cordelia Bageja) tries to pacify the various factions, but is ultimately forced to capitulate to Jinnah’s demands, if the horrific riots across the country are to be stopped. Gandhi goes to Noakhali to heal the rift caused by riots, Nehru and Patel are seen as deeply wounded by the killings of innocents, even Edwina Mountbatten is shattered by the plight of women. Jinnah merely looks on, gimlet-eyed, puffing on his pipe and coughing, as his machinations—along with Liaqat Ali (Rajesh Singh) and Huseyn Suhrawardy (Anuvab Pal)—tear apart the nation.
Nobody knows what actually went on in the grand negotiation rooms, so a lot of the dialogue seems like it was written for effect for a film. There is also a monotony that afflicts the series as it goes into the minutae of the far-reaching negotiations and compromises, because the outcome is known and most of the historical aspects are in the public domain. Perhaps that could be offset by humanizing the leaders a bit more—Jinnah sister, Fatima (Ira Dubey) has many scenes, Patel’s daughter Maniben (Richa Meena) is visible, but Kasturba Gandhi is conspicuous by her absence.
It is a lavishly mounted series with impeccable production design, but the make-up and prosthetics are not up to the mark. Only Zakaria bears any resemblance to Jinnah.
The season ends with the signing of the transfer of power, prepared by senior civil servant VP Menon (KC Shankar); coming up is the quelling of the rebellious stance of the various rajas and nawabs who see their privileges receding, the mass exodus of people during the Partition, and with a glimpse of the Hindu Mahasabha, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Freedom was attained, but at what cost?
Freedom At Midnight
Directed by Nikkhil Advani
Cast: Chirag Vohra, Sidhant Gupta, Arif Zakaria and others
On SonyLIV
