CAST: Jim Sarabh, Ishwak Singh, Regina Cassandra, Rajat Kapur, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Saba Azad, and Arjun Radhakrishnan

DIRECTOR: Abhay Pannu

Created by:  Nikkhil Advani, Roy Kapur Films, and Emmay Entertainment

Rocket Boys retraces Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai’s accomplishments. The series will dwell deeper into their personalities and lives to understand their greatness and relevance in today’s time. It will show how the two great physicists turned their dreams into reality and made great scientific discoveries. It also stars talents like Regina Cassandra, Rajat Kapur, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Saba Azad, and Arjun Radhakrishnan in pivotal roles.

BLUF

Sony hits it out of the park once more with a brilliantly executed series The Rocket Boys by pragmatically debating patriotism, pacifism, and the perils of the arms race in a newly independent India in the story of the great minds C.V. Raman, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam fueling a very engaging and intense narrative.

You feel transported to the times when these great minds were laying the foundation of a young independent and resilient India.

THE MEAT AND THE POTATOES

Well-researched and extremely well written, the story telling is flawless, Debutant Director Abhay Pannu keeps the narrative engaging and focused. The history of the moment, the ingenuity of these men, their passion and their stories are invaluable.

To document all of it this in this very brilliant series is a huge service to the chronicling of the contribution of these men to mankind.

The laboratories, the equipment the scientific environment and the overall vibe seep into the sense of adventure. The pragmatism of Nehru while driving the country to self- reliance and his limitations in not perceiving the need of the moment in joining the arms race when India lost the war to China. Some of the dialogues are to write in gold.

Memorable amongst them are when Homi Bhabha tells Nehru that the country does not need a freedom fighter anymore but a leader.

Nehru saying, only the dead have seen the end of wars.

All goosebumps.

While Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) and Sarabhai (Ishwak Singh)’s story as they move from a student-teacher relationship and forge a life-long friendship and, along the way, evolve each other’s world view. Because of Sarabhai, Bhabha sheds his individualistic approach and, in turn, instills worldly confidence into the morally obligated Sarabhai. Their casual conversations open a window to the role of scientists in society and are gold material. Abhay Pannu had a lot of material to work with and he has made a very focused and superlative series out of a story that should have been told a very long time ago.

Often the best minds lose objectivity in their pursuit for excellence. When the launch of India’s first rocket almost is cancelled, Bhabha comes to Sarabhai’s rescue and pushes him to rethink solution.

The never say die attitude rubs on you and the energy of these men keeps you hooked and triggered.

IN THE KNOW

Jim Sarabh is brilliant as Homi Bhabha with his mercurial dynamism, brilliance in problem solving, eccentric passion and a never say no attitude that hooks you line and sinker.

A guy who could cite Einstein and Shakespeare in the same sentence, Jim Sarabh lives Bhabha smoothly.

Ishwak Singh fits in perfectly as Sarabhai. His sincere eyes and enigmatic smile is perfect for the complicated role.

Both the men complement each other magnificently. APJ Abdul Kalam (Arjun Radhakrishnan) as the guy who rejects himself in his own interviews is lovable.

The fictitious characters of Raza (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), the CIA moles, the journalist Namit Das all add to the drama.

What we get to see is the sweat and the blood of great scientists, with their shortcomings and constraints. Be it Sarabhai’s incapacity to think beyond science, or inability to understand the ambitions of his highly talented wife Mrinalini (Regina Cassandra), or Bhabha’s failure to keep Pravana Irani’s(Saba Azad) attention.

But between these two men, despite their differences, the passion to create a new India is the recurring theme and overpowers their different approaches.

The dialogues are memorable laced with wit and the narrative holds you till the end.

Perfect Binge watch.