Mumbai, Nov 11: Actor Rajesh Kumar, who plays the role of Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister and a close associate of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the series “Freedom at Midnight”, talked about his takeaway from the series was the lasting impact of the partition. Adapted from Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins’ historical book of the same name, the show explores the events surrounding India’s partition.
Rajesh said: “Playing a historical character is tough because you have to stay true to facts without letting your personal interpretation overshadow the reality.” The actor shared that his history background, with a degree from Delhi University, helped him understand the significance of this role. His familiarity with the original “Freedom at Midnight” book added to his passion for the project.
Rajesh expressed that his takeaway from the series was the lasting impact of the partition. "This partition could have been avoided. It was an arbitrary decision during the partition which continue to affect generations today. Hopefully, the series will inspire people to see the division in different light and move forward with a sense of unity."
The trailer of the series was unveiled on November 9 and it began with Clement Attlee, the then Prime Minister of the UK declaring the independence of India.
The series stars Sidhant Gupta as Jawaharlal Nehru, Chirag Vohra as Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Chawla as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Arif Zakaria as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Ira Dubey as Fatima Jinnah, Malishka Mendonsa as Sarojini Naidu, Rajesh Kumar as Liaquat Ali Khan, KC Shankar as V.P. Menon, Luke McGibney as Lord Louis Mountbatten, Cordelia Bugeja as Lady Edwina Mountbatten, Alistair Finlay as Archibald Wavell, Andrew Cullum as Clement Attlee, Richard Teverson as Cyril Radcliffe in pivotal roles.
Produced by Emmay Entertainment (Monisha Advani & Madhu Bhojwani) in association with StudioNext, Freedom at Midnight boasts a stellar team behind the scenes. Nikkhil Advani spearheads this project as the showrunner and director, while the story is penned by a talented team, including Abhinandan Gupta, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Gundeep Kaur, Divya Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, and Ethan Taylor.
‘Freedom at Midnight’ is set to stream from November 15.
