'Freedom at Midnight' gets S02; to feature post-Partition refugee crisis
What's the story
SonyLIV's recent adaptation of the 1975 non-fiction book Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre has been a resounding success. The streaming platform is already gearing up for a second season, after a cliffhanger ending in the first seven-episode season. Showrunner Nikkhil Advani confirmed that Season 2 will delve into the refugee crisis post-India's partition, telling Variety, "Twenty to 30 million people are going to be uprooted from their homes."
Panel participation
Advani discussed 'Freedom at Midnight' at Film Bazaar
Advani recently attended a panel discussion at the Film Bazaar, a part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The event was hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and hosted on a yacht by the Indian Motion Picture Producers's Association. At the discussion, he recalled Mahatma Gandhi's prediction about Partition worsening violence.
Upcoming launch
SonyLIV's strategy and 'Freedom at Midnight' Season 2 release
Danish Khan, executive VP and business head of SonyLIV and StudioNext, revealed that the second season is scheduled to release in 2025. He said that adapting Freedom at Midnight fits into Sony's plan of authentically narrating Indian stories. "We will tell stories of India in a very authentic, cerebral way," Khan said. "There is a set of people who are our subscribers who appreciate highly researched, authenticated work."
Adaptation hurdles
Challenges faced in adapting 'Freedom at Midnight'
Adapting Freedom at Midnight was no easy task, given the challenge of compressing decades of history into a series format. Advani described the events between August 16, 1946, and January 30, 1940, as "indisputable" and a roller coaster. SonyLIV's head of content Saugata Mukherjee also found it difficult to adapt the 1,000-page non-fiction book without losing its essence while making it enjoyable for a broad audience.
Language expansion
'Freedom at Midnight' dubbed in multiple languages for wider reach
To ensure a wider reach within India, the series has also been dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, and Telugu. "The idea is that this story should travel," Khan said. This move is in line with SonyLIV's strategy of making Indian stories accessible to a broader audience through their platform.