Abhishek Banerjee’s heartfelt tribute to Om Puri in Freedom at Midnight Season 2: 'Stepping into a space that echoes a role he once played felt like a quiet tribute to his legacy'

Abhishek Banerjee’s cameo in Freedom at Midnight 2 pays a heartfelt, honest tribute to Om Puri’s iconic role in Gandhi blending historical tragedy with a powerful legacy of Indian cinema.

Abhishek Banerjee in a still from Freedom at Midnight Season 2; Om Puri in a still from Gandhi

The historically rich and heartfelt performances in Nikkhil Advani's second season of Freedom at Midnight on Sony LIV (OTTplay Premium) have garnered praise. On the other hand, Abhishek Banerjee's brief but emotionally packed cameo delivers one of the most remarkable moments in the new instalment.

What is the emotional arc of Abhishek Banerjee’s character in the Freedom at Midnight Season 2?

Episode three of the series features Banerjee's character, a man pushed to the edge by a personal tragedy, and it depicts the terrifying communal violence of the Calcutta riots. After the death of his pregnant wife in the conflict, his character becomes a rioter driven by a need for revenge. The character's touching surrender to Mahatma Gandhi (Chirag Vohra) is the dramatic climax of the story arc.

One of the most renowned scenes from Richard Attenborough's 1982 masterwork Gandhi has thematic and structural similarities with this sequence. Nahari, played by the late Om Puri, is a rioter who approaches a fasting Gandhi and begs the leader to eat. The original film won eight Oscars.

ALSO READ: Freedom at Midnight Season 2 review: Slow-burn masterpiece that explores the raw, internal cracks of a divided nation

What motivated Abhishek Banerjee to accept such a short role?

The part that Banerjee plays in Advani's series is a tribute to that legendary performance. The actor told Mid Day that his admiration for the late veteran actor was the driving force behind his choice to do the cameo.

"Playing this cameo in Freedom at Midnight 2 was never about the size of the role for me. It was about what it stood for. Om Puri Saab is someone I have admired immensely — for his craft, fearlessness, and the dignity he brought to every character. Stepping into a space that echoes a role he once played felt like a quiet tribute to his legacy," Banerjee explained.

What pressure did Abhishek Banerjee face while filming this iconic scene?

In August of 2024, filming took place for the scene. Although the role was brief, Banerjee nevertheless felt pressured to fill the shoes of an actor of Puri's calibre. The association with Puri's "Nahari" remains deeply ingrained in popular consciousness, as the 1982 film remains a classic of world cinema.

According to Banerjee, he didn't see the task as a challenge to see if he could replicate the original, but rather as a chance to showcase Puri's trademark honesty.

What specific qualities did Abhishek Banerjee hope to bring to the performance?

"There can never be a replacement for Om Puri saab, and I’d never see it that way. For me, it was about approaching the role with sincerity and restraint, qualities he embodied so effortlessly. Even though it’s a cameo, there is an emotional weight attached to it, and I wanted to honour that with honesty," Banerjee remarked.

This performance was a "heartfelt tribute" to the actor's idol, Puri, even though the actor acknowledged he has a "long journey" to go before he can match Puri's technical expertise. Banerjee seeks to inject contemporary honesty into a traditional cinematic cliché by focussing on the emotional weight of a man shattered by grief sparked by riots.

By including this scene, the series is making its intention clear: to combine historical narratives with the work of Indian performers who have influenced how the world perceives the partition era.

Freedom at Midnight FAQs:

Q: Who does Abhishek Banerjee play in Freedom at Midnight Season 2?

A: In the third episode of Freedom at Midnight 2 Abhishek Banerjee appears in a significant cameo as a Hindu rioter in Calcutta.

Q: What are the parallels between Freedom at Midnight and the 1982 film Gandhi?

A: Freedom at Midnight features a thematic and structural nod to Gandhi during the Calcutta riots sequence. In both productions, a broken and violent rioter confronts a fasting Mahatma Gandhi to confess his crimes.

Q: When was Abhishek Banerjee’s sequence in Freedom at Midnight filmed?

A: Abhishek Banerjee’s cameo in Freedom at Midnight was filmed in August 2024.

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