Actor Luke McGibney has joined the cast of Nikkhil Advani’s upcoming show, Freedom At Midnight. Four other British actors including Andrew Cullum, Richard Teverson, Alistair Finlay, and Cordelia Bugeja will also be playing key roles in the show.
McGibney and Bugeja will be playing the role of the last Viceroy and Vicereine of India – Lord Louis Mountbatten and Lady Edwina Mountbatten, respectively. On the other hand, Finlay will be seen essaying Archibald Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief and Viceroy of India preceding Mountbatten. Cullum will bring live the character of Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, whereas Teverson will portray Cyril Radcliffe, the chairman of the Boundary Commission for the Partition of India.
Talking about the decision to rope in these five international stars for his show, director Nikkhil Advani said, “One of the biggest regrets that we had during the making of Rocket Boys was not being able to cast the international actors from the UK/USA. Covid and lockdown prevented us from doing that. When we started the casting of Freedom At Midnight both Sony LIV and us were determined to correct that.”
Luke McGibney also opened up about playing the role of Lord Louis Mountbatten and shared that it will be “fascinating and challenging” for him. “As Mountbatten, I step into the shoes of a pivotal figure in India’s history. Mountbatten’s role during the transfer of power and partition was both profound and controversial. It’s a fascinating challenge to tap into the complexities of a character who wielded immense influence during a critical period. From his tenure as the last Viceroy of India to the tumultuous aftermath of partition, Freedom at Midnight allows us to explore his relationships and decisions that altered the course of nations,” he said.
“Lord Louis Mountbatten, his wife Lady Edwina Mountbatten play integral roles that determined the outcome of the partition of the sub-continent. Then of course there is Atlee, Wavel and Radcliffe. Men who changed the course of modern-day India. We were determined to use iconic footage and pictures of some seminal moments. And so, we had to get the actors who not only physically resembled these historical figures but those who would challenge the super Indian actors we had cast,” the director added.
Adapted from the renowned book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, Freedom at Midnight is Produced by Emmay Entertainment (Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani) in association with StudioNext and Sony LIV, Nikkhil Advani serves as the Showrunner and Director. The story is penned by Abhinandan Gupta, Adwitiya Kareng Das, Gundeep Kaur, Divya Nidhi Sharma, Revanta Sarabhai, and Ethan Taylor.
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