Freedom at Midnight: All you need to know about the casting process for the historical drama

Kavish Sinha discusses the casting challenges and the pressure of accurately portraying Indian freedom icons in Freedom at Midnight.

Freedom at Midnight

It's a known fact that Freedom at Midnight the SonyLIV series, will soon premiere, much to the excitement of the fans. India's independence in 1947 serves as the backdrop for the Nikkhil Advani series. Interestingly, Hansal Mehta is also directing a Gandhi series set in the same time period. Casting a historical drama becomes even more difficult when the show's timeline conflicts with another production that takes place during the same period.

Casting director Kavish Sinha's search for the perfect ensemble

According to Mid Day, casting director Kavish Sinha perused a wall of faces for months in his search for suitable performers to portray historical personalities from India's freedom fight in Advani's Freedom at Midnight. Sidhant Gupta plays Jawaharlal Nehru; Chirag Vohra plays Mahatma Gandhi; and Rajendra Chawla as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were among the ensemble cast members revealed to fans in recent weeks.

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According to Sinha, it was a huge challenge to narrow down the cast for the film version of Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins' critically praised novel. Having an understanding collaborator like Advani, however, made things easier.

Sinha told the tabloid that Advani is quite clear about his desires. The class had assigned the book for reading, which was a helpful touch. Casting Rocket Boys' protagonists was easier because they were scientists, whom the general public knows less about. However, Sarojini Naidu, Nehru, Gandhi, and Sardar Patel are well-mentioned. He confidently declares that they could not have gone wrong after viewing their videos.

Balancing likeness and language for historical accuracy

After likeness, language was the second difficulty. They had to pick actors who would speak vintage English, explaining that the leaders studied in England or Allahabad. There was also a 120-day shooting schedule. Additionally, getting their hair and prosthetics done would require them to sit for hours.

Sinha gives the creator-director all the credit for having full faith in him. Whenever he mentioned that something wasn't working, Advani listened to him. They evaluated each actor using three or four sequences. The desire of the performers to engage in historical endeavours was helpful. Nehru and Patel were the roles that everyone wanted to play.

At the same time, Mehta is producing a web series about the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, and Pratik Gandhi will portray the role of the iconic leader. This must have made the portrayal of Gandhi even more daunting.

Chirag Vohra's casting as Gandhi and the role of Sarojini Naidu

Sinha, reflecting on his aspirations, stated that he wanted a bald Gujarati actor. Everyone went straight to Chirag Vohra. Advani informed them that it was an obvious choice. Malishka Mendonsa's arrival interrupted another audition. The moment he laid eyes on her, he recognised her as their Sarojini.

ALSO READ: Freedom at Midnight - On Martyrs' Day, Nikkhil Advani's SonyLIV series sets sail; shoot commences

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