'Freedom at Midnight' review: Stellar cast, but not engaging enough
Sidhant Gupta, Chirag Vohra, and Rajendra Chawla, among others, embellish the large ensemble cast of Freedom at Midnight. Created by Nikkhil Advani, the series, now streaming on SonyLIV, closely analyzes the complex politics and searing tensions leading up to India's partition. It derives its strength from its performances, cinematography, and visual design, but still leaves a lot to be desired. Here's our review.
Focuses on Jinnah, Nehru, the partition process
Based on Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre's namesake book, the historical drama series stars Vohra as Mahatma Gandhi, Chawla as Sardar Vallabhbai Patel, Gupta as Jawaharlal Nehru, and Arif Zakaria as Mohammad Ali Jinnah, among others. Crafted using real-life events and public accounts, it digs deep into the tensions that flared right before the Indo-Pak partition and the widespread, incessant violence that preceded it.
The first scene of E01 immediately stands out
The first episode begins in 1946 Calcutta, when a journalist asks Gandhi, "Kya Hindustan bantne wala hai?" It's a striking, strong statement, and a memorable way to open a show with such a potent theme. It's a precursor of what's about to shortly transpire—both in the show and the then-India. The monochromic stills, coupled with real footage, also paint the episodes in authentic colors.
You can sense the in-depth research in every frame
The opening credits are ripe with the blood-soaked histories of India and Pakistan and heavily reference the incidents and figures that shaped the two countries as we know them today. Another praiseworthy aspect is the show's gravitation toward examining lesser-known incidents and public leaders: for instance, there's an entire sequence dedicated to why Patel almost became the first Indian PM, but eventually couldn't.
Its visual grammar is another appreciable aspect
While watching the show, also pay close attention to the videos and newspaper clippings from the 1900s which bring the past alive and help Freedom at Midnight root itself in realism. The recreation of the era gone by is on point, especially the shooting locations, the vintage cars, the antique furniture, and the color grading that immediately takes you back to that tumultuous time.
Provides ample screen space to several key characters
Projects based on true events must always encourage you to pick up a book and learn more about the incidents that shaped the project, and FAM effortlessly excels here. The most prominent people from the freedom struggle feature frequently, but so do other architects of Indian independence like Baldev Singh and VP Menon. The show, thus, doesn't reserve its spotlight only for selected figures.
Scenes of riots are in black-and-white
Advani has explained that all the scenes featuring riots are in monochrome because he didn't want to give violence a communal color. This is an interesting choice and works well for the show; when you look at those scenes, the visceral pain of the fallen immediately comes alive, and the scenes look like images frozen in time. Near enough, yet out of reach.
Leaves the door open for Season 2
I particularly like how language is demonstrated as a tool for large-scale change. For instance, during a public meeting, Gandhi switches from English to Gujarati so that the waiters, too, can be invigorated by the mission of Independence. Separately, FAM comes of age in the last episode, when the partition comes into effect, and here, you can palpably sense the potential for another season.
What's going on with Gupta's makeup?
However, not everything works. Gupta (Jubilee's breakout star), remains just as consistent and dependable, but his makeup—mostly all over the place—sticks out like a sore thumb. How can you pay attention to his demeanor when the bronzer on his face is so distracting that you can almost touch it through the screen? Makeup and costume are the cornerstones of period shows, after all.
A little too theatrical at times
Another problem that lends the series a somewhat frivolous tone and doesn't let you devote yourself to it completely is its theatrical, complex approach. Marinated in a filmy style, it seems to sometimes present certain characters as "villains" and others as "heroes," so we're unable to understand them completely. In doing so, it only scratches the surface of their personalities.
There's a lot of untapped potential
Adding to the aforementioned aspect, the series would have been more nuanced had this run-of-the-mill approach been dialed down slightly. Take, for instance, in one scene, Patel-Nehru move in circles in a building, completely lost, and then, they talk about how they're "stuck" by Jinnah's machinations. In another scene, characters are shown playing cards. Why? You guessed it. To reflect power and scheming.
If only the imagery weren't so elaborately explained
Another such metaphor is a character's biscuit splitting into two when dipped in chai, and naturally, it's a microcosm of how the Indian subcontinent was about to be painfully torn apart, too. The show is ripe with many such imageries, and if they weren't so forcefully dumbed down and explained to us, they would have landed better, with much more dramatic flair.
Some of its dialogues could have been better
Another gripe I have with Freedom... is how some of its English dialogues seem better suited to modern-day India than the 1940s. Such dialogues come and go, and as you hear them being spoken by historical figures, you can't shake off the feeling that they sound off-note. Its constant use of the ticking sound of a clock as a background score is also off-putting.
Not riveting enough, but still watchable; 2.5/5 stars
Freedom at Midnight teems with promise because it's fronted by a stellar cast, and all actors do well in their respective roles. Zakaria, in particular, completely submits himself to Jinnah's avatar, and there's no room for doubt when you see him perform. Although its in-your-face approach gets clunky and occasionally heavy, it remains watchable. I just wish it were more riveting and engaging.
