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Actor Siddhant Gupta is enjoying good reviews for his portrayal of former Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the web show Freedom at Midnight. “Thankfully I’m finding a way to meet these directors who are seeing these great characters in me. I feel like I’m doing what I came here to do. Of course, it’s a dream,” he says.
In today’s political scenario, where a lot of political projects are considered propaganda, he believes that the show based on the pre-Partition era did not add anything to the story and that is what he liked. “When I read the script it felt right. It felt like it seemed true on paper, and when I did my research, checked all the facts and all the realities of the time, everything aligned perfectly. So, I knew it was the right thing to do. I was just amazed at how much our writers really captured the essence of people who were misunderstood along the way. It felt like the biggest risk and biggest responsibility of my life. He is the great hero of our history, there is no greater character than him.
Siddhant Gupta considers it a great privilege to get the opportunity to play the character of 56-year-old Nehru on screen at the age of 35. “I fell in love with Jawaharlal Nehru and what he stood for,” he says. But I noticed that people keep saying many strange things about him. It’s not respectful enough and these people deserve full respect, and it became my mission to portray them in a way that gives them every respect possible.”
After Jubilee last year and before the release of Freedom at Midnight, the actor remained missing from the public eye for almost a year and a half. If you ask him the reason, he says, “Jubilee gave me complete acceptance and love. This happened because I was able to perform with all my heart and that is very much needed. All you have to do is invest everything you have into the character. So, during that time the desire to look good and all other aspects of keeping up appearances take a back seat. I just needed to disconnect to get things right for my role in Freedom at Midnight. My understanding is that if a project comes which leaves a mark, everything falls into place, as it happened with Jubilee. So, it’s okay if I disappear because when I appear I will appear correctly.
With both these shows, the web medium has given Siddhant a big push and recognition in his career. Does he agree? “OTT has given a big boost to the entire country. Now we are suddenly experiencing cinematic joy in the smallest and biggest of stories. Otherwise, our senses tended to perceive cinema in a very mediocre manner. Not to put anyone down, but there are more opportunities and thus more talented people coming in. People are more aware of and appreciate great performance,” he replied.
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