Rocket Boys review: History of science, told in the best possible way

Jim Sarbh as Dr Homi J. Bhabha in SonyLIV's 'Rocket Boys'.

What a brilliant show from Roy Kapur Films, Nikkhil Advani's Emmay Entertainment and SonyLIV! This one is so good, it melted my cynical old heart and I found myself clapping when Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai raised the Indian National Flag at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore to thumb their noses at the British man whose family was funding their Cosmic Energy Labs. India wasn’t independent then and ‘Bharat Chhodo’ was not yet a national voice.

Jim Sarbh is delightful as Homi Bhabha, and as a foil, the gentle Vikram Sarabhai is played by Ishwak Singh whom you saw last in Paatal Lok (he plays the police officer who is studying hard to clear his UPSC exams). The women in their lives are played wonderfully too: the talented Saba Azad plays Parwana Irani and Regina Cassandra plays Mrinalini Sarabhai. The four are so brilliant, you forget for a while that these two men were brilliant scientists who created history with their pursuit of science - the women in their lives who show them up as human, flaws and all. Of course the support cast is simply marvellous; you wish the story would not end.

Dibyendu Bhattacharya plays the disgruntled scientist Raza Mehdi who runs the science centre in Kolkata, and feels ignored in the science council. He then runs for election and after winning, questions Nehru’s supposed ‘favouritism’ of Bhabha. He is so good as a scientist scorned that I had to look up if someone like that actually existed. You will too. You can feel his grouse, his hatred through your TV screens right into your heart. He gave me the heebie-jeebies!

Also read: Nikkhil Advani on 'Rocket Boys': "We decided science is magic and we need to make it as visual as possible"

Rajit Kapoor was born to play Jawaharlal Nehru and he makes an impact every time he plays the prime minister. Ambalal Sarabhai (Vikram Sarabhai’s father is played wonderfully by Muni Jha). Anahita Uberoi has a small role but as mother to Homi Bhabha, she’s wonderful. K.C. Shankar plays Vishwesh Mathur, Homi Bhabha’s colleague. All these roles are small but significant.

There’s something magical about Saba Azad who plays Homi Bhabha’s girl Parwana Irani in the series. With Homi and Vikram happily chatting away, Parwana either reacts or guides the conversation where she gets the last word in. Now Saba does not have the conventional ‘Bollywood heroine looks’ (read ‘vapid and clone like’) but hoo boy can she act! She sits on the park bench while Homi plays cricket with her nephews. A simple enough scene. But she wants to be married and wishes to have children of her own (Vikram and Mrinalini have sent pictures of their first born) and Homi won’t commit. This is not said in the script and I doubt if a typical Bollywood heroine would have managed to convey this yearning without words. In the restaurant when she presents Homi with a watch, she comes close to articulating her wishes but when she cannot, at that moment you don’t care where Homi is rushing off to, you care about her. And that’s brilliant.

The show cleverly weaves the history of science with footage from real life to increase the magnitude of awe that is built in. The achievements of these two men despite such gigantic odds is simply mind-blowing. It was interesting to see technology vs tradition argument take shape when Vikram Sarabhai talks to mill workers. I’ve always been a space-nut, bingeing on Carl Sagan and Star Trek/Star wars… I am quite happy to be a tourist guide to the shows at the planetarium. But I had no idea Vikram Sarabhai was behind the textile research institute and even IIM (A).

Jim Sarbh is so good as Homi Bhabha - and kudos to the writers for creating such a wonderful, mad, brilliant character -  that it’s going to be difficult to see him as a creepy terrorist that Bollywood offers him. This is a salute to his acting ability of course. Ishwak Singh who plays Vikram Sarabhai convinces me that the man was gentler when compared to the flamboyant Homi Bhabha. I loved seeing the stars in his eyes when he conducts those experiments as well as when he looks at Mrinalini. His human-ness is jaw dropping. What a well written, well played part that is!

The background music too keeps you in the mood. There is not a jarring moment in this show. Waxing too poetic? Not really. The introduction to APJ Abdul Kalam has come in so late, I want to plead with Sony Liv, Nikkhil Advani and Roy Kapoor Films to make season two. But your heart will zoom into space when you see the rocket launched at Thumba.

Considering how awful some shows can get (and for my sins I watch them all so you won’t have to) this request is something… As APJ says and I quote from the show:

Barbaad gulistan karne ko bas ek hee ullu kaafi hai,

Har shaakh pe ullu baithe hain, anjaam-e-gulistan kya hoga

There are so many awful shows available, let this one show redeem us all. And yes, I bawled when I heard the ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech…

Also read: The Green Pivot | A God, a sprite, Homi Bhabha and India’s two missed buses