Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh lead a stellar ensemble cast that brilliantly brings to life the achievements of the scientific community in launching India’s nuclear and space programmes.
In the ongoing debate on ‘Who did not get his due’, there is no doubt that the country does not thank its great scientists enough. Ignite minds like CV Raman, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam have not been able to fuel the imagination of big-ticket filmmakers. Busy solving romantic chemistry, they fail to figure out the drama that occurs when cosmic radiation passes through an atom.
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Debut Writer-Director Abhay Pannu Fills a yawning gap in popular culture by documenting the achievements of the scientific community in launching India’s nuclear and space programs into a rarefied orbit after independence.
It is clear that Abhay had a lot of material to play with, but he makes sure it doesn’t get bogged down in a haze of formulas and lectures. He tries to walk the fine line between a pedantic documentary and a chest-thumping exercise and is successful for the most part.
The eight-episode series practically debates the dangers of patriotism, pacifism and the arms race.
Well-researched, scientific and political jargon flows in dialogue, and the scale is matched by the weight of the people whose story it tells. The series manages to take us back to the era when a bullock cart-driven nation was struggling to make the leap. Classrooms, laboratories, equipment, and the overall atmosphere is rife with the smell of chalk and a sense of adventure. When older boys play with their toys, it generates infectious energy that is hard to define, but also not easy to ignore goosebumps.
Between the canvases spanning the decades before and after 1947, the focus is on Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) and Sarabhai (Ishvak Singh). How they move beyond a student-teacher relationship and form a friendship of a lifetime and, at the same time, inform each other’s world view, forms the crux of the story. Because of Sarabhai, Bhabha abandoned her individualistic outlook and, in turn, instilled worldly faith in the humble-looking Sarabhai. Their informal conversation opens a window to the role of scientists in society.
Abhay also brings about conflict between machine and man and like any good conversation, it turns out to be a two-way process. Not to forget the politics, espionage and betrayal that also find their way into the universe of scholars.
Keeping the controversies of the present day in context, Jawaharlal Nehru’s (Rajit Kapoor) dilemma on China and the atomic bomb is effectively dealt with.
easily his best performance, Jim infuses the character with sweet energy that keeps you invested in the series, even when he’s not in the frame. A multifaceted personality who can quote Einstein and Shakespeare in a single sentence, Bhabha stands out as a mixture of scholarship and audacity and Jim lives the contradiction with ease.
As the gentle but determined Sarabhai, Ishwak Singh proves to be an effective foil for Sarabh. His sincere smile plays a complicated role that is half the battle.
Creative freedom and fictional characters don’t get in the way of storytelling. What we get to see is the human faces behind the great scientists, with their flaws and limitations. Be it Sarabhai’s inability to measure the thin line between art and science, or his struggle to understand the ambitions of his exceedingly talented wife, we feel the limits of the bright personality.
Similarly, Bhabha’s inorganic bond with Parwana Irani (Saba Azad) gives us a sense of the times and how circumstances spoil relationships.
At times, Abhay and Kausar Munir’s dialogues—feel a lot in terms of expressions used today, but are consistently sharp and nuanced—that differentiate between older boys about reaching the same goal. tell to.
Immaculate casting and measured performance ensure that problems with pacing don’t put you off the middle episodes. Kapoor nailed it precisely as Pandit Nehru. Regina Cassandra is quite magnetic as Mrinalini SarabhaiWhich deserves a separate film.
As the fictional disgruntled scientist Mehdi Raza, Dibyendu Bhattacharya provides a highly likable counterpart to Sarabh. Both Regina and Dibyendu add much needed texture to the action as they hold their own in front of Sarbh. Arjuna Radhakrishnan’s physical presence may not match Kalam’s well-documented personality, but his honest performance makes up for it.
Just as manual intervention won the day for Sarabhai and Bhabha, so Abhay’s human touch propels the chain’s rocket in the right direction.
Rocket Boys is currently streaming on SonyLIV
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