EXCLUSIVE: SonyLIV’s ambitious Indian independence drama Freedom at midnight added British cast.
Cordelia Bugeja (EastEnders, Family matters), Richard Teverson (The crown, Downton Abbey), Luke McGibney (Mysterious island, Containment), Andrew Cullum (The crown, The Black Prince) and Alistair Findlay (Highlander, Lady Chatterley’s lover) have joined the series that chronicles India’s struggle for independence and subsequent partition.
McGibney and Bugeja will play the last viceroy and viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten and Lady Edwina Mountbatten respectively. Finlay is Archibald Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief and Viceroy of India before Mountbatten. Cullum brings to life Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, while Teverson portrays Cyril Radcliffe, chairman of the Boundary Commission for the Partition of India.
They joined Sidhant Gupta (anniversary), who plays Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, Chirag Vohra (Fraud 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story) as Mahatma Gandhi and Rajendra Chawla (Loop Lapeta) as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister and home minister of India.
Based on a book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, Freedom at midnight is one of streamer SonyLIV’s big bets for 2024, promising “an immersive dive into one of India’s most pivotal eras” – when the Indian population began to respond to the Indian struggle for independence from the British Empire and the country’s subsequent partition into India and to push Pakistan. The series traces history from the early calls for self-rule to the moment of independence in 1947, examining the motivations, conflicts and sacrifices of key figures such as Gandhi, Nehru and Patel.
Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani’s Emmay Entertainment is producing in association with StudioNext and Sony LIV. Nikkhil Advani serves as showrunner and director. Abhinandan Gupta, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Gundeep Kaur, Divya Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai and Ethan Taylor have written the scripts.
Danish Khan, Business Head, Sony LIV and StudioNext, said: “We at Sony LIV are delighted to present this Freedom at midnight based on the literary masterpiece of the same name. This series will tell the electrifying story of India’s independence history with depth and authenticity. Led by Nikkhil Advani and his remarkably capable team, the transition from page to screen will be nothing short of extraordinary.
“We at Sony LIV, StudioNext and Emmay believe this story is hugely relevant and will provide our audiences around the world with great understanding and insight into the what, why and how of the events that led to the Partition and ultimately the led to Indian independence.
Like Emma’s previous series, set in the early days of Indian independence, the series aims to capture pivotal developments in the country’s history. However, that show didn’t have an international cast, which, according to Advani, was “one of the biggest regrets we had.”
“Covid and lockdown prevented us from doing this,” he added. “When we started casting Freedom at midnight Both Sony LIV and we were determined to correct this. Lord Louis Mountbatten and his wife Lady Edwina Mountbatten played a crucial role that determined the outcome of the partition of the subcontinent.
“Then of course there are Atlee, Wavel and Radcliffe: men who changed the course of modern India. We were determined to use iconic footage and images of some key moments. And so we had to find actors who not only physically resembled these historical figures, but also ones who would rival the super Indian actors we had cast.”
McGibney said: “As Mountbatten, I take on the role of a key figure in India’s history. Mountbatten’s role in the transfer of power and partition was both profound and controversial. It’s a fascinating challenge to explore the complexity of a figure who wielded enormous influence at a critical time. From his tenure as the last Viceroy of India to the turbulent aftermath of Partition, Freedom at midnight allows us to explore his relationships and decisions that changed the course of nations.”
News of the casting comes shortly after Deadline announced that Tom Felton, James Murray and a number of British actors had joined Gandhianother high-budget Indian drama series that aims to commemorate the crucial Indian history of the 20th century.