Nikhil Advani EXCLUSIVE: “I Failed Class 12 and My Family is from Karachi, I Want People to Remember Their History”

Mumbai: Veteran filmmaker Nikhil Advani, currently in the spotlight for his web series Freedom at Midnight 2, recently spoke to us about his cinematic journey, creative philosophy, and the motivation behind his historical projects.

Reflecting on his early career, Advani revealed that he failed his 12th grade due to his obsession with films. “I used to watch five or six films a day. I was a true cinema child,” he said. He assisted a wide spectrum of filmmakers, from Saeed Mirza and Sudhir Mishra to Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, learning from their contrasting approaches. “Saeed and Sudhir were my true gurus. Later, I learned production under Karan Johar and Yash Chopra. There was always a creative tension, which shaped me as a filmmaker.”

With over three decades in the industry, Advani said his current goal is to give back. “I believe if we don’t contribute to strengthening the industry that gave us so much, we are thinking too small. I now support young writers and directors. We’ve initiated programs like the Writers Residency under the Sumitra Gupta Foundation of Arts. For me, this is more important than personal fame.”

Advani’s recent works focus on bringing history to the screen. After projects like Rocket Boys, The Empire, and Freedom at Midnight, his next series, The Revolutionaries, will highlight freedom fighters predating Mahatma Gandhi. “I love reading history and listening to historical podcasts. My daughter is 19, and I want her to know the history of our country and our family. My ancestors were from Sindh and Karachi, and I want her to understand what they endured during Partition.”

Discussing historical adaptations, Advani noted, “Adapting a book for screen is challenging. Freedom at Midnight is a brilliant book, but some feel it tells history from a Western perspective. Our adaptation credits six writers and took a year and a half to write. I wanted to take audiences inside the rooms, the riots, the protests, so they can decide for themselves whether leaders like Nehru, Jinnah, Patel, Mountbatten, and Menon made the right decisions.”

On the state of the industry today, Advani emphasized the need for filmmakers to read and engage with literature. “Earlier, Yash Chopra memorized all of Sahir Ludhianvi’s poetry. Today, we watch foreign films and think that’s cinema. We must study our own literature, watch world cinema, and avoid being obsessed with box office numbers.”

Advani concluded, “I want people to remember history—not just mine, but the country’s. Through my work, I hope to educate, entertain, and preserve stories that might otherwise be forgotten.”