The trailer of ‘Rocket Boys’ has been released by Sony Liv. This web series is based on the lives of two great scientists of India, Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai. This web series shows how Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai together played an important role in advancing science and technological development in India.
Jim Sarbh will be seen as Homi Bhabha and Ishwak Singh will play the role of Vikram Sarabhai in this series.
The trailer of ‘Rocket Boys’ shows the early lives and struggles faced by the scientists and their efforts to take the newly independent and struggling country forward in the technology path.
Rocket Boys trailer
The trailer shows young Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai becoming friends and working together under difficult circumstances in a country that is struggling under colonialism and poverty. The trailer shows clips of the nuclear physicists doing experiments at Cambridge University and teaching at the Indian Institute of Science. Rajat Kapur is seen in the role of ex-PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
A heartwarming clip in the trailer also shows Vikram Sarabhai being introduced to a bright young scientist from “far away in South India”, a smiling young man named APJ Abdul Kalam.
Earlier when the teaser of the series was launched on 15th August 2021, Jim Sarbh had said “Today, after many life-saving inventions, we all have started understanding the importance of science. ‘Rocket Boys’ is the story of two great people like Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha. I hope his story will inspire generations of scientists, researchers, and innovators to come.”
Ishwak Singh who has played the role of Vikram Sarabhai had said “Portraying such a great person on screen as an artist is an experience in itself. Also, there is a huge responsibility. Hope I can do justice to the character of Vikram Sarabhai, who initiated the Indian Space Research and made a very important contribution in making India a nuclear power.”
Homi Bhabha
If India is a nuclear power country today, then a lot of credit goes to Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha. He was born on 30 October 1909 in Mumbai. Homi Bhabha is remembered as the Father of the Nuclear Program of India. He was a researcher in Cambridge before he decided to stay in India and join CV Raman’s Indian Institute of Science. He had later become the founder-director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai. On 24 January 1966, Bhabha was going to New York by an Air India flight. In a tragic plane crash high in the European Alps, Bhabha was killed along with 117 other passengers.
Interestingly, Bhabha’s death came just 3 months after he had declared that India can develop a nuclear bomb in 18 months. Many have claimed over the years that the USA’s CIA was behind Bhabha’s death.
Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Sarabhai, born on 12 August 1919 in Ahmedabad, is known as the father of the Indian space program. It was Vikram Sarabhai whose efforts led to the establishment of ISRO. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai along with his friend and senior Homi Bhabha also built the first rocket launching station in Thiruvananthapuram. Dr Vikram Sarabhai had also played a key role in setting up the Physical Research Laboratory and IIM in Ahmedabad, and a number of scientific institutions in India. Sarabhai was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and Padma Vibhushan in 1972.
On 30 December 1971, Sarabhai was about to review the design of the India SLV at Thiruvananthapuram and had a phone conversation with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam when he had a sudden cardiac arrest and died. He was just 52 years old. Over the years, there have been many allegations that his death was not natural and CIA may have played a role in it.
‘Rocket Boys’ is directed by Abhay Pannu, who was an assistant director in shows like ‘Mumbai Diaries’, ‘Yeh Meri Family’. It is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapoor, Nikhil Advani and others.
Apart from Jim Sarbh Ishvak Singh and Rajat Kapur, actress Regina Cassandra, Saba Azad, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Arjun Radhakrishnan have played key roles in the series.
It will be streamed on Sony Liv from February 4 onwards.
