Nikkhil Advani reveals why Sidhant Gupta was finalised to play Jawaharlal Nehru in Freedom At Midnight: 'His nose...'

Sidhant Gupta recently impressed everyone with his first look as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in Sony LIV’s highly anticipated political thriller series, Freedom at Midnight. Set against the backdrop of India’s struggle for independence, the series intricately weaves together pivotal events and eminent personalities who shaped the nation’s history. Among these figures is Pandit Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, whose character will be brought to life in the upcoming series by Sidhant Gupta.

Nikkhil Advani, the director and showrunner of Freedom at Midnight, talked about the careful casting process for the series and also shared how Sidhant was finalised to play Nehru. "Casting for this project was no easy feat, it was critical to find actors who could truly embody these iconic leaders. Kavish, our casting director, was brilliant in identifying the right talent, and the prosthetics done by Jagdish Dada & team, made sure the transformations were seamless. Nehru’s character was the last to be cast for the show. We needed someone who could truly embody Pandit Nehru, and while Sidhant's talent was undeniable, it was his striking resemblance, especially his nose, to Nehru Ji that sealed the deal", the Kal Ho Naa Ho director stated.

Based on the eponymous book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, Freedom at Midnight delves deep into the tumultuous events surrounding India’s struggle for independence. The series features a stellar cast, including 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 will start streaming on SonyLIV this November.

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