‘When
you
are
taking
on
something
which
is
this
big
in
India,
there
are
so
many
pressures
about
wanting
to
do
justice
to
them,
so
I
am
still
scared.’
Ram
Madhvani
explains
a
scene
to
Nikita
Dutta
on
the
sets
of
The
Waking
of
a
Nation.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Nikita
Dutta/Instagram
Filmmaker
Ram
Madhvani
says
he
has
dug
deeper
into
one
of
the
poignant
historical
events
in
India’s
freedom
struggle,
the
Jallianwala
Bagh
massacre
in
his
upcoming
series
The
Waking
of
a
Nation
but
in
a
‘sensitive
and
honest’
way.
Set
during
colonial
rule,
the
historical
thriller
series
delves
into
the
conspiracy
and
events
leading
up
to
the
Jallianwala
Bagh
massacre
and
the
Hunter
Commission’s
investigation
into
the
tragedy.
In
The
Waking
of
a
Nation,
co-written
by
Madhvani,
Shantanu
Srivastava
and
Shatrujeet
Nath,
they
are
honouring
the
memories
of
those
who
lost
their
lives,
he
said.
“We’ve
not
shown
the
massacre,
we
just
show
the
soldiers
coming
in.
I
didn’t
want
to
show
it,
and
that
was
the
most
sensitive
part
about
the
way
we
approached
it.
Other
filmmakers
have
shown
the
massacre.
I
felt
it
would
be
better,
as
we
don’t
know
if
there
were
400
or
2,000
people
(killed),
so
it
would
be
more
dignified
not
to
show
it,”
Madhvani
said.
“We
dedicated
this
to
the
people
who
have
lost
their
lives
during
the
massacre,
and
we
wanted
to
treat
that
with
the
utmost
respect
and
sensitivity,
Madhvani
added.
Bhawsheel
Singh
Sahni,
Taaruk
Raina
and
Ram
Madhvani
on
the
sets
of
The
Waking
of
a
Nation.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Bhawsheel
Singh
Sahni/Instagram
Madhvani
said
he
has
also
tried
to
stay
away
from
the
caricaturish
portrayal
of
the
British
in
Hindi
cinema.
“Though
they’ve
done
a
villainous
thing,
they
were
thinking
that
they
were
doing
their
duty.
They
are
shown
as
villains
but
not
in
a
melodramatic
way.
The
idea
was
to
try
and
be
fair,
which
is
the
wrong
word
to
use
when
I’m
talking
about
the
white
skin.
But
to
try
and
be
fair
to
the
idea
of
duty
and
why
people
do
what
they
do
in
the
name
of
duty,
there
are
so
many
things
that
you
can
do.”
In
crafting
The
Waking
of
a
Nation,
Madhvani
said
he
drew
inspiration
from
acclaimed
films
that
handle
historical
narratives
with
nuance,
including
The
Battle
of
Algiers,
Oliver
Stone’s
JFK
and
Kathryn
Bigelow’s
Detroit
to
evoke
a
similar
sense
of
authenticity.
“These
were
the
movies
that
we
used
as
a
reference
point,
but
only
more
for
treatment
and
more
for
a
documentary
way
of
shooting
because
that’s
the
way
you
can
represent
truth
and
honesty,”
the
Emmy
Award-winning
director
said.
Bhawsheel
Singh
Sahni,
Ansh
Verma
and
Ram
Madhvani
on
the
sets
of
The
Waking
of
a
Nation.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Bhawsheel
Singh
Sahni/Instagram
Madhvani
has
narrated
the
story
of
the
massacre
through
the
eyes
of
four
friends:
A
lawyer,
Kantilal
Sahni
(Taaruk
Raina),
a
journalist
Ali
Allahbaksh
(Sahil
Mehta),
an
ordinary
man,
Hari
Singh
(Bhawsheel
Singh)
and
his
wife,
Poonam
(Nikita
Dutta).
The
show
also
stars
British
actors
Paul
McEwan
and
Alex
Reece
among
others.
Madhvani
said
the
show
can
be
a
thriller,
a
courtroom
drama
and
it
also
has
“conspiracy
and
crime”.
“I’m
not
a
political
person.
I’m
looking
at
it
from
the
British
Raj
perspective
because
I’m
troubled
by
the
idea
that
we
are
speaking
in
English
and
today
we
are
dressed
in
Indian
attire,”
Madhvani,
who
hails
from
Barsi,
a
small
town
near
Maharashtra’s
Solapur
region,
said.
“I’m
troubled
by
the
idea
of
cultural
colonisation
that
has
happened
to
us,
so
that’s
the
lens
from
which
I’m
looking
at
it.
Eventually,
the
reason
it
will
reach
out
to
people
is
because
the
soul
of
the
story
is
four
friends
and
their
connection,”
he
added.
Nikita
Dutta
and
Bhawsheel
Singh
Sahni
along
with
Ram
Madhvani
on
the
sets
of
The
Waking
of
a
Nation.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Bhawsheel
Singh
Sahni/Instagram
Madhvani
credits
his
casting
director,
Abhimanyu
Ray,
for
zeroing
in
on
Raina,
Dutta,
Singh,
and
Mehta
for
the
show.
“It’s
their
talent
that
brought
them
here.
It’s
because
of
the
auditions
and
the
re-auditions
that
we
decided
that
they
will
be
able
to
take
the
emotional
burden
of
the
roles
that
they
are
playing.
I
don’t
judge
it
on
earlier
work.
I
judge
it
on
what
they
are
capable
of
in
the
auditions
that
they
do,”
he
said.
Produced
by
Ram
Madhvani
and
his
wife
Amita
Madhvani,
The
Waking
of
a
Nation
is
set
to
premiere
on
March
7
on
Sony
LIV.
As
the
launch
date
draws
near,
the
director
is
both
excited
and
nervous.
“When
you
are
taking
on
something
which
is
this
big
in
India,
there
are
so
many
pressures
about
wanting
to
do
justice
to
them,
first
of
all
to
the
audience,
and
my
entire
team,
so
I
am
still
scared.”
“There
is
a
line
in
Neerja
(which
he
directed):
‘Fear
gave
her
courage’.
I
don’t
think
there
is
any
harm
in
being
scared
as
long
as
you
are
honest
about
your
fears.”
