The entire premise of Freedom At Midnight is built around the character dynamics in play between all major stalwarts from back in the day. The same is wonderfully represented in a cleverly penned scene at the start of the show – you are given a glimpse of a few characters, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Liaquat Ali Khan and Mohammed Ali Jinnah to name a few. All characters are waiting for the lift to arrive but more importantly, you are witness to cracks in their relationship which is evident through their body language and their respective ambitions of power. When you look closely, this is more on the lines of difference in ideologies that has caused an invisible rift whose seeds may have been sown over the years. It is representative of two drastically opposite sections which would go onto be the root cause of the eventual partition, something that forms the crux of conflict in the show.

The drama here is a slow burn, often relying on conversations between characters to highlight the character dynamics. The period is just a year shy of the eventual Independence that coincided with the partition of the two countries – India and Pakistan, who in the modern day are refusing to even play cricket with each other (read : Champions Trophy). The idea of bringing this up here is to give you an account of the number of years that have passed, with little to no improvement in the years that have passed. But even as I digress, there is utmost sensitivity that is implied while establishing relationships between characters. For instance, the dynamics between Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru is unlike that of envy which was presented to us – they are almost hand-in-glove with each other, being at the center of major decisions taken by the Congress, and oftem being on the same page (atleast in the period highlighted in the show). This is true in an important scene wherein Sardar Vallabhbhai voluntarily withdraws his nomination even after being unanimously elected as the first Prime Minister of India under the Home rule of the British, at the behest of the Mahatma who feels that Nehru is the ideal candidate here. This, in a way is representative of the amount of respect that the duo had for the Mahatma as well, often being guided on the civilized path early on in the show.

In a sharp contrast, you are privy to the character of Jinnah, a dignified but proud Muslim, and the leader of the Muslim league who wished to break the monopoly of the Congress while doubling up in his aspiration to see the makings of an independent Muslim nation (read : Pakistan in the modern setup). But even his vileness comes across as dignified, even with the politics that he resorts too, something that triggers a communal movement starting with Bengal, only to branch out in Punjab, amidst other states. The third and an important stakeholder is the British (essentially tasked with viewing their point of view through Lord Mountbatten, India’s last Viceroy before Independence), who contrary to the history textbooks are shown to be more humane in nature. By the face of it, they aren’t in favour of dividing the country too, while being caught in the conundrum of the Congress and the Muslim League. One thing that the writing does extremely well is to balance the aspirations of all stakeholders by not typically coating them with the same paint – you see them having talks with each other and failing to come to a consensus, even as the communal harmony is disrupted in the nation.

The drama can also be viewed as the ideological differences between all characters including the Mahatma, who is often shown to carve a path of his own while never being in the thick of the politics. In a moving sequence, you see him braving through a river after the miscreants break the bridge, only to further be denied entry at a local school. He then stations himself out in the open amidst the outpour, only to be offered an umbrella – a symbol of hope amidst a million obstacles. This essentially depicted the spirit of the Mahatma – an active bridge between the Congress and the Muslim League at one point, until both parties oddly didn’t wish to utilize his service of peace. It is strange how he gets the blame for it even today when the soul stood for peace and harmony. The interpersonal relationships between the characters are so well established, giving them arcs of sorts that are layered and complex, even while briefly offering montages from the past on how things stand in the current timeline. The sensitivity offered with the writing is endearing, while never opting to side with any particular point of view, which ultimately results in a bittersweet moment in its final act. But the quick setup of the Maharajas is a whole new chapter waiting to be discovered in its second season, while the screenplay is wonderfully penned here in every sense of the word.