But with The Revolutionaries, he attempted something different, telling the story of the armed struggle for India’s independence, and that too, through the eyes of revolutionaries that most Indians today would not be aware of. Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani himself has focused on that part with shows like Freedom at Midnight.
The story of the Indian freedom struggle has been told on celluloid countless times, but barring the films on Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, or Master Surya Sen, they have largely focussed on the non-violent push for Indian independence.
Talking about India’s armed rebellion, Nikkhil says, “The whole concept of non-violence came much later, around 1920. It will premiere on Prime Video on September 11. There is a widely held notion that India won its freedom through non-violent means alone. The Revolutionaries, directed by Nikkhil Advani, is based on the non-fiction book Revolutionaries: The Other Story Of How India Won Its Freedom by Sanjeev Sanyal.
Ahead of the show’s release, the filmmaker sat down for a chat with Hindustan Times about his vision for the show and how he wanted to make history entertaining. But The Revolutionaries is more action than drama. Whenever we talk about the other historical figures we have learnt about in school, we always equate them to some lesson we have learnt. And while it is true that Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the British Raj’s end, the contribution of revolutionaries cannot be denied. The show sheds light on the exploits of some famed freedom fighters in the pre-Gandhian era, and their effort to mount an armed revolt against the British before World War I. For them (the revolutionaries), the British were the enemy. These people had the spirit, the passion, a little bit of madness. The show stars Bhuvan Bam, Rohit Saraf, Pratibha Ranta, and Gurfateh Pirzada in the lead roles.
Talking about the approach to this show, he says, “The idea was to make history a little more fun and relatable.
Period dramas or historicals are not new for Nikkhil, having created Rocket Boys and Freedom at Midnight earlier.
