Mukti teaser: Prison inmates face-off against British overlords on football field in period drama series

The upcoming Zee5 series Mukti, directed by Rohan Ghose and starring Ritwick Chakraborty,  Arjun Chakraborty and Sudip Sarkar, is set in the early 1930s.

The teaser sees the prisoners of Midnapore jail challenge their British overlords to a game of football, as a form of resistance.

As the tagline on the poster suggests, many displays of resistance were made at the time, but the goal was one: to defeat the colonizers.

In the teaser, a British officer initially discusses reformative measures undertaken by a police officer, played by Ritwick, in the jail. There are glimpses of the prisoners being subjected to extreme torture. The British officer considers himself something of a ringmaster, as he sadistically takes pleasure in treating the inmates like chained animals.

Arjun's character believes in fighting for the rights of the countrymen by using force; however, Sarkar's character speaks of adopting nonviolent means to achieve the same end.

In the motion logo, which was launched last month, a ball was depicted demolishing a Union Jack. The teaser makes it clear that eventually the prisoners, with the help of sympathetic police officers, challenge the British to a game of football in the course of the series.

Dhrubo Banerjee's recently released Golondaaj depicted how, under the leadership of the father of Indian football Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari, a ragtag group of Bengali players helped their countrymen gain their rights. Mukti, however, seems to be focusing more on the spirit of freedom struggle, highlighting the stark cruelty of the colonizers.

Mukti, which also stars Chitrangada Shatarupa and Ditipriya Roy, will be streamed from 26 January.

Check out the teaser below and let us know if you are keen on watching the series.

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