Whether or not Freedom At Midnight 2 has a political agenda, a bias or two might be learn into it, relying on the affiliation of who’s watching, notes Deepa Gahlot.

The primary season of Freedom At Midnight, based mostly on the e book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, was in regards to the backroom discussions and raging arguments by Indian leaders, for independence from British rule.

The season ended with the signing of the switch of energy, ready by senior civil servant V P Menon (Ok C Shankar).

The second season, once more directed by Nikkhil Advani, covers Partition and its horrific aftermath, the quelling of the rebellious stance of the assorted maharajas and nawabs, who see their privileges receding, the mass exodus of individuals following Partition, and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Freedom was attained, at a really heavy price.

 

On this a part of the story, Mahatma Gandhi, who was against the Partition of the nation, is sidelined, whereas Jawaharlal Nehru (Sidhant Gupta) and Vallabhbhai Patel (Rajendra Chawla) lock horns with a recalcitrant Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Arif Zakaria).

The unlikely hero right here is Lord Mountbatten (Like McGibney), who has to rein within the ‘savages’.

He first will get a clueless Cyril Radcliffe (Richard Teverson), who protests that he’s a lawyer with no data of geography, to attract the border, and is then aghast on the massacre that outcomes.

The scenes of killing and piling of our bodies are tough to look at on display, though the victims suffered worse brutality.

Jinnah is completely rigid, whether or not it’s over the naming of the 2 nations, or the publish of governor basic, which he refuses to concede to Mountbatten. He’s in a rush to get a Muslim slice (or slices, contemplating East Pakistan) as a result of he has a terminal sickness. He did, in reality, die in 1948, quickly after Partition.

As violence breaks out in Punjab and Bengal, Nehru, Patel and Gandhi attempt to douse the flames of hatred, whereas Jinnah merely seems to be on, gimlet-eyed, puffing on his pipe, coughing, and rebuking Liaquat Ali (Rajesh Singh) as his machinations destroy lives and houses. His sister Fatima (Ira Dubey) hovers round tending to him.

The princely states finally signal the accession letters, after a bitter tug-of-war over Muslim and Hindu dominated territories.

Probably the most contentious is Kashmir, with a Hindu ruler, Hari Singh (Kaizaad Kotwal) and a Muslim majority inhabitants.

Pakistan sends its military disguised as tribals to encroach on Kashmiri land, and as Indian troopers are massacred in inhospitable terrain and horrible climate circumstances, whilst they hold the invaders out, Nehru requires the UN to intervene.

The results of the political motion then, are being felt until right now.

Among the run time within the seven-part episodes — utilizing actual footage interspersed in between — are dedicated to the struggling of the folks.

Madal Pahwa (Anurag Thakur), who misplaced every little thing throughout Partition makes an attempt an unsuccessful assassination of Gandhi, whereas one other man in Bengal (Abhishek Banerjee), on a killing spree to avenge the brutal homicide of his pregnant spouse, throws down his arms earlier than a frail Gandhi.

Seen from right now’s viewpoint, with numerous tales and theories floating round, Nehru is seen as an immature chief, susceptible to tantrums, whereas a practical Patel does what it takes to maintain India’s pursuits in thoughts.

Jinnah has no redeeming options in any respect, whereas Gandhi is portrayed as naively idealistic, happening fasts unto the demise to present Pakistanis their monetary due (‘in order that they purchase arms and assault us,’ exclaims a fed-up Patel). His obduracy finally forces numerous factions to signal, however the final quick is proven in excruciating element.

Ashutosh Phatak’s background rating is relentless, as if the viewers wanted fixed prodding to react accurately to historic gaffes and glories on show.

The manufacturing design is fantastic, the magnificent interiors a sight to behold, and so are the interval costumes

Abhinandan Gupta’s adaptation of the e book, which has been scripted by a big group of writers, packs in lots, but appears lengthy drawn, maybe as a result of some episodes are given extra time and a focus.

Chirag Vohra has labored arduous to play Gandhi, regardless of the awkward prosthetics.

Nehru has a balding head, however the taut pores and skin of a younger man.

Solely Arif Zakaria’s hawkish Jinnah and Rajendra Chawla’s plain-speaking Patel look proper.

Whether or not the sequence has a political agenda, a bias or two might be learn into it, relying on the affiliation of who’s watching.

What it ought to, and does emphasise, nonetheless, is studying from previous errors and never repeating them.

Early on within the sequence, a newly-designed Indian tricolour is unfurled, and it’s clarified that the colors don’t stand for numerous religions.

Freedom At Midnight 2 streams on SonyLIV.

Freedom At Midnight 2 Assessment Rediff Score: