Director Abhay Pannu ended the first season of Rocket Boys on an interesting note, with Homi Bhabha — essayed by Jim Sarbh — standing on the cusp of an era-defining invention. While the series depicted how Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai boosted the nation’s standing in scientific communities under the aegis of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, it is learnt that the second edition will see former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi play a bigger role as she takes charge.

Kavish Sinha, who handled the casting of the Sony LIV offering, had roped in Charu Shankar to play India’s Iron Lady in the opening season. “There are a lot of dignitaries who come into [play] in the second season, including cabinet ministers and prime ministers. A major part [is dedicated to] Indira Gandhi in the upcoming season. Abhay was ready with a complete docket for the entire show, including the character arcs,” says the casting director.

He adds that both instalments were shot simultaneously. “We needed actors who would be invested for a long period as the two seasons were being shot together. The 16 episodes weren’t shot episodically, but as per the script and location.” He adds that the show is now in post-production.

After several blink-and-miss roles, Ishwak Singh created an impact with his act as an idealistic cop in Paatal Lok, following it up with an earnest performance in Unpaused. With his portrayal of Vikram Sarabhai in SonyLIV’s Rocket Boys, the actor has shown once again that he can slip into difficult roles, with ease. In a chat with mid-day, Singh talks about becoming the physicist on screen and how the show’s biggest win is its remarkable writing.

I was excited. After all, it’s not every day that you get a part where everything is up your alley. I wanted to do work that involves great writing, and the show [offers that]. Early on, I got to read a part of the script during the auditions, and I knew it was a human story. When I started reading the episodes, it seemed like a great piece of literature. It makes me aware of the world of science.

I was aware of him. I had the opportunity to [see] Mallika Sarabhai perform at Darpana Academy of Performing Arts. Vikram Sarabhai started IIM [Indian Institute of Management], he is the father of Indian space research, but it was [fascinating] to know the circumstances and the resources with which he created all this. It was inspiring to know about the anecdotes, which can easily be transformed into multiple stories. No matter how much research I did, I didn’t feel the burden of playing a character like that. 

For me, the script was the bible. That said, I also referred to his biography, Vikram Sarabhai: A Life written by Amrita Shah. I kept going back to the book to know Vikram. In the series, everything is factual and authentic, to the point that at times, I felt the script was more informative than the biography. You can’t call it fictionalising; it is more like filling in the blanks.

That’s a question for the writers. Since I got to know him through the research and script, I think all the significant aspects of his life [were portrayed]. The family was involved in the making of the story at an early stage. Some things may not have found their way into the script, but it was complete [in its own way].

If you have read Sarabhai’s [biopic], the series will be an eye-opener. This man was brilliant, highly educated, had everything at his disposal, and was a great thinker. I find no reason to not subscribe to his ideology. I didn’t require great acting skills to get into the mind of Vikram Sarabhai because I could understand where this man is coming from.

I love Jim’s work and also envied him for the kind of hustle he has been through. I have seen him make suggestions about how we could [do a scene], during the workshops. We wouldn’t necessarily agree on everything, but there was always mutual respect. It was a collaborative effort — one of the reasons why I always want to work with new-age filmmakers like Abhay Pannu.

I love Atul Sabharwal’s [director] writing. We are already doing workshops; the character is creeping inside and becoming a part of me.

Bollywood has had more than its share of biopics on athletes, war heroes and freedom fighters, but little screen time has been devoted to the scientists that the country has produced. With 'Rocket Boys', director Abhay Pannu intends to show that scientific discoveries make for stimulating stories as he offers a dramatised retelling of the lives of Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, thus celebrating their contributions to the fields of atomic and space research. Finding actors who can do justice to the geniuses could not have been easy, but the director has found his leads in Jim Sarbh, and Ishwak Singh of Paatal Lok fame.

As he shares his first look as Bhabha in the Sony LIV series, Sarbh says that stepping into the celebrated nuclear physicist’s shoes was an honour. “Taking on the role of Homi Bhabha is special, partly because of our shared Parsi heritage. But more importantly, it is [a privilege] because he was an interesting, driven, Renaissance man. His dedication to scientific process and discovery, his notes on arts and culture, and his ability to have a good laugh make him a delicious character to play,” says the actor, who began shooting for the Nikkhil Advani and Siddharth Roy Kapur-backed series in late 2019.

A story about India’s brightest minds is incomplete without Sarabhai, considered the Father of the Indian space programme. The show will study his early years of research. Singh remembers saying an enthusiastic ‘yes’ to the project right after the narration. “The concept of [remembering] India’s science heroes grabbed my attention. As a youngster, I was fascinated by stories of space and what lies beyond. By playing Vikram Sarabhai, who established the Indian Space Research Organisation, I will help other enthusiasts know more about his accomplishments.” The series, shot across Mumbai, Pune and Rajasthan, marks his second project with Advani after Unpaused.