Very few contemporary filmmakers have changed genres like Nikhil Advani. Still fondly remembered tomorrow may or may not happen, Over the years Nikhil has developed a diverse palette, where lesser-known historical details told with the flourish of recent dramatic thrillers form the dominant shade. after turning the head Empire And rocket boysNikhil is in news right now freedom at midnight – SonyLIV’s seven-part series is based on the novel of the same name by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, which depicts the background politics and ideological battles of India leading up to Independence and Partition.
Talking about his shift towards stories dealing with epic events, Nikhil says that while growing up in Mumbai, the 1993 bomb blasts, 26/11 attacks and the 2005 floods left a deep impact on him – ” Mumbai Diaries Came from me. Others have been offered to me and I don’t say no to interesting projects. I love history and spend a lot of time reading history books and listening to podcasts on history. Some historical events are honestly more esoteric than anything I’ve written in fiction.
As we carry on with the conversation, Nikhil recalls his early days in the industry where he assisted Saeed and Aziz Mirza and sharpened his worldview while working with Sudhir Mishra and Kundan Shah. He highlights how tomorrow may or may not happen And freedom at midnight 21 years apart, share the same confirmed release date.
It’s important to return to one’s roots, says Nikhil, because “after all, home is where the heart is.” The producer-director says he has learned to mount it airline service, Smt Chatterjee vs Norway, Or rocket boys Within a certain budget since his days at Dharma and Yash Raj Films, but he can make even gurus like Sudhir Mishra proud with his work. “When Sudhir called me from his set in Vadodara and told me that he loved the first episode freedom at midnight, Or when Aditya Chopra dials up to say that he has finished the series in one go and it is my best work; I feel like I made a good decision.”
Excerpts from an interview:
What inspired the perspective you chose to explore this important period in the history of the subcontinent?
Much of what we have shown is in the history books and much of it is not. When Danish Khan (Executive Vice President SonyLiv) said that this series is about a history you may not know, but a history you should, it became the mantra with which we approached writing. Turned towards. The events between August 16, 1946, when Jinnah called for Direct Action Day, and January 30, 1948, when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, are undisputed, but how each personality reacted and participated in the discussions is But there can be debate.
We followed large sections of the book. Once it became clear that Gandhi would never compromise his principles, Sardar (Patel) was more practical and realistic than others and Nehru was caught between two towering personalities; This allowed us to create our own debates and discussions and see their reactions to events. The first season has a very reactive type of script where people react to events by provoking, talking or objecting.
Chirag Vohra as Mahatma Gandhi in a scene from ‘Freedom at Midnight’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
How did you work with half a dozen writers?
There was a lot of coming and going of ideas here and there. When we were about 10-15 days away from the shoot, I felt we were not ready and asked for another year to pace the narrative in a political thriller with a ticking time bomb. Some incidents require a little more research to find out. I felt that if the series had a point of view that was completely opposite to what we wanted to say, we should know and possibly try to understand it. This understanding is subconsciously reflected in our expression, making it richer. I am glad that the platform provided us so much time and space.
Did you know that this book was written from the perspective of Viceroy Mountbatten?
Absolutely. Lapierre and Collins acknowledge in the preface that Mountbatten had called on them to write about one of the most decisive events in history. It was written at a time when other actors like Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru and Sardar had already passed away. If you notice in the middle half of the book, when Mountbatten is no longer Viceroy and becomes Governor General, the writing changes from a characterization to a thriller about what happens to Gandhi, as Mountbatten is forced to confront Congress and the Congress. There is no direct access to information about. Muslim League leadership. For us, the hero is India, not Mountbatten, not Gandhi or Nehru and Jinnah.
Why was the role of fundamentalist Hindu elements creating communal divide left out of the first season?
That’s because he didn’t play much of a role in the part of the source material that we covered in the first season. As we hinted at the end of episode seven, it will explode in the second half.
A scene from ‘Freedom at Midnight’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The book gives a sense of how the Hindu right wing was reacting to the demands of the Muslim League and some believe that the series was skewed towards the concerns and actions of only one community…
As far as the approach is concerned, we have been able to balance things. There’s a difference between the arc of a season and the arc of a show. People should comment only after watching the complete series. It seems that those complaining are watching the series and not listening carefully. There is a Maulana Azad who is continuously saying that India should not be allowed to be divided. In one sequence, Jinnah told Nehru not to forget that more Muslims were killed than Hindus in the Calcutta riots. When Nehru asks about the deaths in Congress-ruled Bihar, Azad replies that it has been seen that ‘our workers were also involved in this.’
Your casting choices have also been debated, especially the young Siddhant Gupta who plays Nehru…
This is subjective. We needed a capable actor to justify Nehru’s age from 25 to 58. Casting choices are also governed by the demands of the artist. It’s easier to make a young person look older than the other way around. Siddhant, who hails from Jammu, has a sharp nose like Nehru. Most importantly, all the actors had to dedicate themselves for one and a half years to achieve this look.
What should we expect in the second season?
If the first season is all about the behind-the-scenes politics, then in the second season, a time bomb will explode when we go out to see Gandhi’s protests, the reaction to partition in Punjab and Calcutta, the role of princes, the plight of refugees. And the question of Kashmir.
Nikhil Advani Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Nowadays even your commercial films have a socialist layer as we have found in Veda..
I have always been like this. In between, when I got married and needed money to settle down, I moved towards purely commercial cinema. My wife is a child rights activist. Our dinner table discussions are very interesting. We are constantly punching above our weight. We want to tell difficult stories to give voice to those who haven’t been heard before in popular discussion. I believe it is worth fighting for art, gender, caste divisions and history.
Is this desire to balance different viewpoints a requirement of your art or a requirement of the times we live in?
I do not agree with the statement that times are different now. It has always been like this. I have always done what I loved doing and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to express myself. I am a centrist. Having shot in remote parts of the country, whenever there is a conversation on politics in my social circle, I tell my friends that sitting in South Mumbai, we do not have the perspective or lens to understand the complexity of the country’s issues. faces.
But you also made films like Batla House and Satyamev Jayate?
It’s like going a little to the left and coming back and then going to the right and coming back. It’s the push and pull (that keeps me going).
What will happen next?
after freedom at midnight, I am very curious to see the role of revolutionaries in the freedom movement.
Freedom at Midnight is currently streaming on SonyLIV
published – November 25, 2024 03:46 PM IST
