Ahead of the release of Freedom at Midnight on November 15, director Nikkhil Advani faced criticism from Vivek Agnihotri for allegedly whitewashing the history of the 1947 partition. Agnihotri called out Advani for omitting the religious aspect of the partition riots, after Advani stated he avoided depicting religious violence in the series.
Vivek wrote, “Dear Nikhil, have some BALLS. If you’re going to present the violent, communal history of India’s partition, at least have the balls to show who was the perpetrator and who was the victim (sic).”
He added, “First, this wasn’t just a riot: it was a Hindu genocide, and it had a religious color: green. Second, the violence was driven solely by religion, and the name of that religion was Islam. Hindus never asked Muslims to leave India (sic).”
Vivek Agnihotri criticized Nikkhil Advani for allegedly “whitewashing” history in Freedom at Midnight, accusing him of distorting the truth surrounding the 1947 partition. Agnihotri expressed frustration on social media, urging Advani to stand by the truth rather than conforming to a “woke” narrative, and questioned if a historical epic like Mahabharata would also be diluted in a similar manner.