Having produced the huge success of "Rocket Boys," Nikkhil Advani was in no time to pop the champagne and celebrate the victory lightly. "You become a little bit more ambitious," he says of the process. Advani and Danish Khan, Business Head of Sony LIV and StudioNext, chose the landmark book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight, about India's transformative journey from British rule to democracy.
" 'Rocket Boys,' which documented the friendship and works of nuclear physicists Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai was a bit easier as nobody knew about their friendship but adopting this book was a huge challenge," said Advani. He urged that somebody remember history, saying, "'I don't think there's any correct time to adopt 'Freedom at Midnight' contemporary or otherwise… I feel you should never forget history.'". Reminders should always be made; I do not aim to stir the controversy. I am only trying to tell a tale that, when read to me as a young lad, sometimes is very absorbing. The story I have gone back to time and again is one such tale.
The series talks about the freedom struggle of India and major figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel. It also profiles personalities like Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lord Louis Mountbatten, India's last Viceroy. Not compromising on historical facts, Advani stated that creative liberties had to be taken in scripting: "I want to put the viewer, the audience into those hallowed rooms that we have not read in history books. I want to put you into Viceroy's or Jinnah's study, where he says, 'You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.' Did he say that? No." Wouldn't he have exploited the fact that people are going to take me seriously? 'Yes.'
On the risk of such a project, Advani admitted, "I feel that the definition of patriotism has become slightly skewed.". I want to be in the position where I can say that, let's re-examine what patriotism should be, and what 'Rocket Boys' is, which is nation-building. Quoting his wife's early advice, he added, "You are not as good as Martin Scorsese, nor are you as popular as Jesus Christ and 50 percent of the world hates them. So, move on and keep doing what you have to do.".
The series also shines light on lesser talked about personalities like BR Ambedkar, Sarojini Naidu, Maulana Azad and Acharya Kriplani. He appreciated the nature of democracy saying, "The greatest part of being in a democracy is the 'ability to agree to disagree,' and they fought for it. 'Did they get everything right?' I don't think so."
Casting for iconic figures was both a challenge and a delight. Sidhant Gupta, a new discovery, plays Nehru. Advani further quips, "I was looking for Nehru. He is so the beautiful, charismatic, effervescent man with an incredible nose. I saw 'Jubilee' and was thinking, 'Where was he (Sidhant Gupta)
The supporting cast includes Chirag Vohra as Gandhi, Arif Zakaria as Jinnah, Malishka Mendonsa as Sarojini Naidu, and Rajendra Chawla as Sardar Patel.
To keep the authenticity intact, Advani requested actors to not take up characters that may be against the identity of their character on screen for a whole year. "I don't want Chirag, who plays Gandhi, playing some henchman to a villain. He is Gandhi; you can play such a part afterwards," he said. The series has been co-produced by Monisha Advani, Siddharth Atha, and Madhu Bhojwani and will be streaming on SonyLIV from November 15.
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