‘Freedom at Midnight’ Interview: Arif Zakaria on playing Nehru and Jinnah

Arif Zakaria as Jinnah in a scene from ‘Freedom at Midnight’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

One of the performances of 2024 that will stay with us for some time is Arif Zakaria’s portrayal of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Nikhil Advani’s film. freedom at midnightA hard-working actor, Zakaria comes from a Mumbai political family that produced stalwarts like Rafiq Zakaria and, interestingly, he has played the role of Jawaharlal Nehru in the past.

Zakaria, who grew up in South Mumbai, says he can feel Jinnah’s spirit in the air. “Apart from practicing in the Bombay High Court, Jinnah was a socialite who frequently visited the Willingdon Club and the Mumbai Gymkhana. While walking around the neighborhood, my father would share stories of his now dilapidated bungalow on Malabar Hill.

Arif Zakaria Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Zakaria saw Jinnah as an introvert with a strange mixture of superiority and inferiority complex. “He claimed to be the sole representative of the Muslims but was not a practicing Muslim himself. Apart from his name, you cannot consider Jinnah as a Muslim from any point of view. He was also not fond of Urdu poetry and switched from suits to sherwanis quite late in his public life for political reasons. While Gandhiji cleverly reached out to grassroots politics, he confined himself to intellectual discussions from armchair for long periods of time. Deep inside I felt that he must have been conscious of this conflict. Writing provided me the opportunity to reveal these delicate layers.

An effective performance requires time, says Zakaria. “Since shooting got postponed for a year because Nikhil wanted more time for research, it provided an opportunity for a number of workshops and table readings to work out the nuances.” Zakaria has a habit of writing character traits on the side of the script.

Arif Zakaria as Jinnah Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“I saw Jinnah as a powerful man whose communication style was like barking. It required the voice of a cocky man with a piercing gaze and his gait strong and elegant. But then we also had to include his disease, tuberculosis, in the depiction. The most difficult part for Zakaria was to portray Jinnah as a chain smoker. “I don’t smoke but I had to do so for the role. Somehow our DOP likes to capture the smoke. So, even in scenes where I didn’t have a talking part, I was expected to make smoke rings,” Zakaria says with a smile.

The veteran actor is grateful to the casting team for considering him for the role, despite knowing that he had played the role of Nehru not once but twice before. “As an artiste, I look at the ideological aspect of the character from a distance. I also played the role of a complete right winger in this Leela. It’s the physicality of historical figures that I’m conscious of. My aim is not to recreate but to present the character. He had a similar demeanor but unlike Jinnah, I saw Nehru as a friendly man with less hair on his head.

Arif Zakaria Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After making a name for herself on Doordarshan with entertaining campus stories, Zakaria ventured into films with the complex gender-fluid role of Kalpana Lajmi. between And she is still remembered for her sensitive portrayal of a transgender named Immi, Lajmi is said to have approached several mainstream actors, including Shah Rukh Khan, before striking a deal with Zakaria.

He says actors talk about their desire for challenging roles but when the real challenge knocks at the door, many turn away. He says that in the 90s it was taboo to explore the female side of the central hero. “Then screenwriters weren’t writing ‘hero in saree’ scenes.” After this he played the role of a Bharatnatyam dancer dance like a man For which he learned the dance form. He credits co-star dancer Shobhana and director Mahesh Dattani for helping him make the dance parts believable.

“With the masculine Nanak Shah FakirI see them as delicate characters who need to be imbued with sensitivity. Even the strongest characters like Jinnah have a fragile side; If the writing allows, the actor can humanize them. He says that the seeds of change in Jinnah’s personality are visible in the scenes from the Nagpur session of the Congress, where Jinnah is shouted at and insulted by delegates supporting Gandhi.

Arif Zakaria Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After serious things, Zacharias is preparing himself for a musical comedy bollywood masala Which will be staged in Paris this week. “It’s a spoof on Bollywood that gives me an opportunity to try physical comedy and some French dialogue.” This is his second collaboration with theater director Toby Gough Bollywood businessman. Playing the role of a chef who caters to the tastes of top Bollywood stars, “It’s a kind of mini tour of India that offers a glimpse of our cuisine and cinema amidst elaborate dance sequences.”

‘Freedom at Midnight’ is currently streaming on SonyLiv