Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre : Drama
Year : 2022
Season: 1 Episodes: 9
Director : Nikkhil Advani
Cast : Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, Regina Cassandra, Rajit Kapoor, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Saba Azad
Kid rating : G
I remember reading about Dr. Homi Jehangir Baba and the BARC, in school. Vikram Sarabhai was also mentioned although I can’t quite recall details. In print, they seemed so dull and gray, and the description of their work wasn’t very enticing either. So I must applaud Sony LIV for creating this series starring them, and making it so very interesting and engrossing. Little did we know that the lives of drab characters from history books could be this enthralling!
This series starts off with Dr. Homi Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) and Dr. Vikram Sarabhai (Ishwak Singh) having a major disagreement on a momentous decision for India, with Sarabhai walking off. It is obvious to us that these two know each other very well, but are not afraid of opposing viewpoints and holding their own. From there the series goes backwards in time to show us the lives of Bhabha and Sarabhai and their work together, leading up to the point where they part ways because of differences.
Rocket Boys is beautifully written. It balances out the personal relationships and the public persona. It’s depiction of the character’s personal lives is layered and nuanced – highlighting their high-minded philosophies as well as their private struggles. This helps flesh them out, and really shows us the kind of people they were.
Homi Bhabha, who looked so staid on paper, turned out to be an ambitious whipper-snapper. Born to a wealthy family, Bhabha goes abroad for his education and comes back hungry to propel his own nation towards technological greatness. An outspoken extrovert, Bhabha uses his contacts, considerable charm and sheer force of personality to ease the political and bureaucratic roadblocks in his path. He is quite a favorite with PM Nehru and also a great friend, often addressing Nehru as “Bhai”.
Vikram Sarabhai was comparatively soft-spoken, a wealthy industrialists’s son with a penchant for social work. He falls in love and marries classical dancer Mrinalini, but the marriage is not a happy one. Sarabhai advocates for the application of science for social good, like his efforts to set up ATIRA in Ahmedabad to better the lives of the mill workers. In fact, it was quite inspirational to see the desire for public good in the lives and works of both these great men!
Both Jim Sarbh (whom we saw in the gorgeous Yeh Ballet) and Ishwak Singh who play the main characters are great choices because of physical similarities with the men they portray, and do fabulously well! The supporting cast is just as good – Regina Cassandra plays the fiesty Mrinalini, Rajit Kapoor is immaculate as PM Nehru, Dibyendu Bhattacharya is physicist Raza Mehdi, singer-actress Saba Azad (whom we saw as main lead in the lovely teeny-bopper flick Mujhse Fraandship Karoge) plays Bhabha’s love interest Parvana “Pipsy” Irani and Arjun Radhakrishnan is a very young, enthusiastic and short-haired Abdul Kalam.
To see all these historical figures literally come to life in this skillfully created series was a pleasure indeed! Were it that more creators would come forward to portray history as interestingly. Rocket Boys, as a celebration of the India’s great minds, is a must see!
Kidwise: Clean.
