SonyLIV announces cast for new series 'Freedom at Midnight'
What's the story
After tasting enormous success through shows such as Scam 1992, Maharani, Tabbar, and Gullak, SonyLIV is now gearing up for the period drama series Freedom at Midnight. The series is inspired by a namesake 1975 non-fiction book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. It explores India's fight for independence and the subsequent, harrowing partition of India and Pakistan by British colonial powers.
Star power
Star-studded cast to bring historical figures to life
SonyLIV has tapped a number of rising stars for the project. Sidhant Gupta, known for his role in Amazon Prime Video's Jubilee, will portray Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister post-independence. Chirag Vohra, who rose to fame with SonyLIV's Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, is set to play Mahatma Gandhi. Additionally, Rajendra Chawla from Netflix's Looop Lapeta will embody Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. Check out the first-look images here.
Production details
Production and creative team behind 'Freedom at Midnight'
The series is a collaborative effort between Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani of Emmay Entertainment, StudioNext, and SonyLIV. Nikkhil Advani, known for his work on SonyLIV's Rocket Boys, will serve as the showrunner and director. Advani is also the director of Kal Ho Naa Ho, among other films. The creative writing team includes Abhinandan Gupta, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Gundeep Kaur, Divy Nidhj Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, and Ethan Taylor.
Enthusiastic remarks
SonyLIV and Studionext head shared excitement about the project
Danish Khan, the head of SonyLIV and StudioNext, expressed his enthusiasm about Freedom at Midnight, calling it their "most ambitious project." "Under the leadership of Nikkhil Advani and his remarkably skilled team, the transition from page to screen will be nothing short of extraordinary." "We at SonyLIV, StudioNext are delighted to collaborate with Emmay Entertainment to bring this highly relevant and electrifying story of India's independence to our audiences across the world," he said.
Source material
Prefer reading the book instead? Here's more about it
Per Goodreads, "Freedom at Midnight is the true story of the events surrounding Indian independence, beginning with the appointment of Lord Mountbatten of Burma as the last Viceroy of British India, and ending with the assassination and funeral of Mahatma Gandhi." "The book was an international bestseller and achieved enormous acclaim in the United States, Italy, Spain, and France." Its paperback version is over 600 pages long.