Arif Zakaria on playing Jinnah in Freedom at Midnight: Didn’t attach any political flavour to it

Arif Zakaria’s performance as Jinnah in Freedom at Midnight seems to have been well received, with many appreciating the nuanced approach to the character.

Arif Zakaria, who plays Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s first governor-general, in the recently released web show Freedom at Midnight, has faced little in the way of polarising feedback about his portrayal of the controversial figure. While historical characters like Jinnah often spark intense debate, Arif Zakaria’s performance seems to have been well received, with many appreciating the nuanced approach to the character.

“Personally, I haven’t received any polarising feedback,” the actor shares, adding, “The show has been well appreciated. Of course, people may have differing opinions, but I haven’t seen any extreme reactions so far. It’s natural for audiences to like or dislike parts of a story, but that’s true for any work—not just historical adaptations.”

Ask him if he was apprehensive about taking up a character that is unpopular in this part of the world and the actor promptly says “not really”. He explains, “It’s a challenging role—and as actors, we always talk about embracing challenges. So when such a challenge comes along, why shy away? I didn’t attach any political flavor to it. I treated him like an antagonist or anti-hero and worked within the confines of the script. The burden of history on this character makes people view it differently. But I consciously didn’t carry that weight. I stuck to what the script demanded and played the character accordingly.”

The 58-year-old further says, “I stripped down the reputation and approached the character as a lawyer from Mumbai—a man who followed a certain ideology, believed in what he thought was right, and had a strong sense of self-belief. For him, his right was right. He was educated, had a sister, and espoused a theory he firmly believed in until the end.”

Zakaria says he doesn’t feel daunted by the characters historical weight. “If tomorrow I get a chance to play someone like Bhimrao Ambedkar or any other historical figure, I would take it as another opportunity to perform to the best of my abilities,” says the actor, who has previously played Pakistan General Riaz Ahmed in Shoorveer (2022) and former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962: The War in the Hills (2021).

Ask him if he was apprehensive about taking up a character that is unpopular in this part of the world and the actor promptly says “not really”. He explains, “It’s a challenging role—and as actors, we always talk about embracing challenges. So when such a challenge comes along, why shy away? I didn’t attach any political flavor to it. I treated him like an antagonist or anti-hero and worked within the confines of the script. The burden of history on this character makes people view it differently. But I consciously didn’t carry that weight. I stuck to what the script demanded and played the character accordingly.”

The 58-year-old further says, “I stripped down the reputation and approached the character as a lawyer from Mumbai—a man who followed a certain ideology, believed in what he thought was right, and had a strong sense of self-belief. For him, his right was right. He was educated, had a sister, and espoused a theory he firmly believed in until the end.”

Zakaria says he doesn’t feel daunted by the characters historical weight. “If tomorrow I get a chance to play someone like Bhimrao Ambedkar or any other historical figure, I would take it as another opportunity to perform to the best of my abilities,” says the actor, who has previously played Pakistan General Riaz Ahmed in Shoorveer (2022) and former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962: The War in the Hills (2021).

Zakaria’s journey into the project began two years ago when he received a call from filmmaker Nikkhil Advani while he was abroad. “I had heard of the book Freedom at Midnight. It’s a big novel, very popular, and well-known,” he recalls. “I landed back in Mumbai and went to meet him (Advani). In the first meeting, he simply told me, ‘I want you to play this part. You look the part, and I think it would be good for the project’,” he further says, adding, “He had me read just one scene, which happens to be in Episode 2—the consultation scene with Nehru’s character. Getting on board was as simple as that.”

On if he drew inspiration from other actors who’ve played Jinnah on screen, Zakaria says he’s not seen any major performances. Sharing how he prepped to bring Jinnah to life on screen, he reveals, “There were extensive workshops and readings, and I even learnt how to smoke. That went on for about 9 to 10 months before we actually began shooting,” adding, “My approach was largely based on the material I had at hand—the script, historical research, and, of course, Jinnah’s tonality and presence, which can now be easily studied on YouTube. I worked on his voice and mannerisms while staying present and spontaneous during the shoot.”

But given the current political scenario in the country was he anxious about controversies erupting surrounding the show or the character? “Not at all. We live in very vague times—anything can become controversial. I could do a scene with a man and a woman, and addressing the woman in a certain way might spark controversy. You have to stick to what you believe is true,” Zakaria says, adding, “In this case, the writing was very strong, and the show is based on an award-winning book. Freedom at Midnight is a celebrated novel written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, first published in the late 1970s. The book has been popular for decades, so we adapted it faithfully. As an actor, you have to remain pure to the material. If you get caught up in these concerns, you can’t do justice to the work.”

He adds, “As an artist, you can’t please everybody. At the end of the day, everyone has their own opinions. People who try to please everyone might end up sacrificing something. You have to be true to the material. The best way to please anyone, whether personally, professionally, or artistically, is to stick to what’s true and honest. Don’t play to the gallery, or just try to appeal to others’ expectations. Just make something truthful and correct. If something is untrue, it will be discovered eventually. People are smart, especially with social media these days. If you do the right thing, the rest will follow.”

Zakaria further says that history is always open to interpretation, and no matter how much research one does, there will always be voices and perspectives on it. “I think it’s great that everyone has access to these debates now…But as an audience, we want you to feel as if you’re sitting across the boardroom, watching these historical figures make their decisions. Whether they were right or wrong is subjective—it’s your perspective. We’re not trying to alter that. You may come in with a certain set notion, and that’s fine, but we’ll show you the circumstances, pressures, and reasons behind their actions,” he says.

During the conversation, Zakaria also weighed in on the rise of history-based webs shows on OTT platforms. He believes historical stories are finding greater success on OTT because they allow for deeper exploration of characters and themes. “The long-format nature of OTT platforms allows stories to unfold over time. You can play with subjects, formats, and genres without being bogged down by commercial trappings. Characters are better defined, and there’s more room for exploration.”

He credits this format for making historical narratives more accessible and engaging. “India has so many untold stories—heroes, survivors, revolutionaries—from every corner of the country. OTT platforms offer the space to explore these stories in depth, which theatrical releases often cannot accommodate,” he wraps up.

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Centre approves PAN 2.0 project: What’s new, top benefits and all you need to know

The PAN 2.0 Project is for digitizing the taxpayer registration system, upgrading the current system, and making PAN as a common identifier

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced its approval of the PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department on Monday, November 25, 2024.

The PAN 2.0 Project is an e-Governance project for digitizing the taxpayer registration system (Digital PAN/TAN services).

The government will be spending a total of ₹1,435 crore for the project, according to its official press statement.

The project also aims to upgrade the current PAN/TAN 1.0 eco-system by consolidating the core and non-core PAN/TAN activities as well as the PAN validation service.

The government also aims to enable the use of PAN as a common identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies.

“PAN card is part of our life which is important for the middle class and small business, it has been highly upgraded and PAN 2.0 has been approved today,” said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, talking about the details of the Pan 2.0 project. “The existing system will be upgraded and the digital backbone will be brought in a new way.”

He also highlighted that the government aims to focus on the grievance redressal system, to cater to the queries and the needs of citizens.

Top 4 benefits of the PAN 2.0 Project

i) Ease of access and speedy service delivery with improved quality

ii) Single Source of Truth and data consistency

iii) Eco-friendly processes and cost optimization

iv) Security and optimization of infrastructure for greater agility

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“As BJP celebrates Maharashtra Election 2024 results with jalebi, here’s an easy recipe for you to try at home

BJP celebrates a sweeping victory in Maharashtra Election 2024 with jalebis. If you have a sweet tooth too, try this easy recipe at home

Jalebis and celebrations go hand in hand. But the deep-fried Indian delicacy also has a special connection to elections in our country. It all started when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi showed a box of jalebis from the famous Matu Ram Halwai during a rally in Haryana’s Gohana, stating that it should be sold across the nation. He wanted these jalebis to be exported in order to generate more employment opportunities in India. Well, on the day of the Haryana assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders celebrated their party’s victory in the state by eating jalebis. BJP leaders even got jalebis delivered to Gandhi’s home. Today, as the Mahayuti alliance— comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP— marks a landslide victory in Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024, BJP leaders are once again celebrating with piping hot jalebis.

Well, if this makes you crave jalebis too, try out this easy recipe by Swasthi. All you need for the jalebi is 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 cup curd, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, oil or ghee as needed. Coming to the ingredients for the sugar syrup: 1 cup sugar, 1/2-3/4 cup water, 1 pinch saffron, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Let’s start with the sugar syrup. Begin by adding sugar and water to a pot. Boil on medium heat until it reaches the consistency of a single string. Pour lemon juice, cardamom powder and saffron. Remove from the stove, stir and set aside.

Mix maida, cornflour and turmeric in a bowl. Add curd to this mixture before making a batter by pouring in the water. Beat the batter with a whisk until smooth. Now that your batter is ready, let’s begin frying! Heat the ghee/oil on medium heat. To the batter, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Add soda to this concoction and mix. Now take 2-3 tablespoons of the batter and put it in a zip lock bag or a cloth bag. Squeeze the bag gently over the hot oil/ghee in circular motions from the center, slowly moving outside to get a spiral jalebi. Fry until crispy and then dip this into the sugar syrup. Let it rest for two minutes before taking it out and serving hot.

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