Movie Review
Rocket Boys (web series)
An Indian biographical streaming television programme called Rocket Boys is available on SonyLIV. The lives of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai are the inspiration for the series. [] It is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Monisha Advani, and Madhu Bhojwani under the names Roy Kapur Films and Emmay Entertainment, respectively, and directed by Abhay Pannu. Together with Regina Cassandra, Jim Sarbh, and Ishwak Singh also appear in the series.
On February 4, 2022, the web series was exclusively made available on SonyLIV.
On March 16, 2023, Rocket Boys Season 2 was made available only on Sony LIV. On 15 August 2022, the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence Day, the first look for the second season was shown. The second teaser was published on 12 February 2023. The second teaser emphasises how crucial it was for India to develop nuclear weapons in the face of impending international threats of war, which led to the country's first nuclear test, also known as Pokhran I, in 1974. The documentary series will follow India's best scientists as they forge a new age in which no one dared to question their nation's sovereignty.]
Synopsis
Drs. Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, two outstanding guys, are the subject of the book Rocket Boys. The plot is centred on the three pivotal decades in India's history—the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s—and how the country is developing into a powerful, courageous, and independent country. It tells the tale of science's formative years in Independent India.
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai founded the Indian Space Project, and Dr. Homi J. Bhabha constructed India's nuclear programme with dreams in their eyes and a vision in their thoughts. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who invented modern Indian aerospace and nuclear technology, Dr. Bhabha's close friend Parvana Irani, the eminent scientist Raza Mehdi (who is not real but a fictional character scripted as the antagonist for dramatisation), and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who supported them at every turn, are also important figures in their journey.
The season expands on their close friendship, selflessness, and tenacity, as well as how everything contributed to India's maiden rocket launch; it is symbolic of India's transition into a brand-new post-war world.
Cast
Jim Sarbh should play Dr. Homi J. Bhabha.
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai is played by Ishwak Singh.
As Mrinalini Sarabhai, Regina Cassandra
Pipsy, played by Saba Azad, is Parwana Irani.
As Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajit Kapur
As C. V. Raman, T.M. Karthik
Raza played by Dibyendu Bhattacharya Mehdi
Prosenjit Dey played by Namit Das
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is portrayed by Arjun Radhakrishnan.
In the role of Vishwesh Mathur, K.C.
The Kamla Chowdhry in Neha Chauhan
JRD is Rajeev Kachroo. Tata
Jehangir Bhabha is played by Darious Shroff.
with her performance as Mehreen Bhabha
Robert Crowley is played by Mark Bennington.
As Lt. Col. Sabharwal, Arjun Dwivedi
Agent Miller is Ed Robinson.
William Colby is played by Benedict Garrett.
Indra Gandhi, played by Charu Shanker
Raja Ramanna, played by Rahul Dev Shetty
Pranab Rebatiranjan Dastidar is played by Nilanjan Datta.
Episodes
1 "War and Peace" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
With a difference of opinion related to the ongoing war, Dr. Homi Bhabha and Dr. Vikram Sarabhai look back at the time when they first met each other.
2 "It's Like Gravity" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
As Homi and Vikram's friendship grows, an unexpected roadblock leads them to meet a few people who will alter the course of their lives.
3 "The Greater Good" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
Homi and Vikram set out on their individual paths in hopes to achieve their dreams.
4 "A Tryst with Destiny" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
Emerging as an Independent country, Homi and Vikram share their vision for the country. A new face comes to light while a threat lurks in the shadow.
5 "The Outsider" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
Homi and Vikram face a backlash both at personal and professional life.
6 "A Democratic Process" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
Their ideas and ambitions are challenged by a fierce rebellion. They must choose a path that they deem fit.
7 "We are at War" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
While India gets ready to take its first step in Nuclear science, another dream gets into acceleration, but an impending war threatens to tear it all down.
8 "A New Dawn" Abhay Pannu Abhay Pannu, Kausar Munir 4 February 2022
As the country starts to heal the wound from the war, the great men come together for one final showdown to do the impossible.
Reception
Both reviewers and viewers gave the programme favourable reviews, praising the acting, directing, screenplay, and other technical elements.
The Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh concert is a shining tribute to India's scientific heroes, according to The Times of India, which awarded it a grade of 3.5. Furthermore, they added that the show captures viewers' attention right away. [] The primary performers Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh are part of a wonderful ensemble cast that brilliantly depicts the scientific accomplishments that led to the establishment of India's atomic and space projects, according to Anuj Kumar of The Hindu. [
Rocket Boys is the type of tale that the Oscars and the BAFTA voters are looking for, according to Shefali Deshpande of The Quint, who rated it 4.5/5 ratings. They said that this programme will succeed slowly but surely by having excellent acting, storyline, directing, and music, as well as authentic old film and audio to go with it. [] According to Moneycontrol, Roy Kapur Pictures, Emmay Entertainment, and SonyLIV collaborated to produce an amazing event that is not to be missed.
Rocket Boys is an engaging state-of-the-nation drama, and both Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh are great, according to Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express. [] According to Hindustan Times, one of the online series with the best-crafted, sincere-performed, and tightly-written moments is Rocket Boys. The programme is a shining star on the roster of the streamer, it was added. [] According to The Scroll.in, Rocket Boys is fueled by lofty ambition on the screen and off, and it's a heady mix of research and creative freedom, knowledge that would pass a pop quiz, and a flare for drama.
According to NDTV Gadgets 360, India comes of age in SonyLIV's fantastic new series, and Abhay Pannu's Rocket Boys delivers in spades with the tale of Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai. [] Rocket Boys received a 3.5 rating from NDTV, which added that it "gets the science of fusing reality and fantasy perfectly right" and "delivers a viewing experience that is distinctly different from generic shows."
ThePrint described Rocket Boys as a singular blending of science and the commonplace, personal and political, truth and fiction, that lessens the exclusivity of science and makes it more approachable and awe-inspiring while remaining grounded. [] The show's on-point casting and masterful storyline, according to Priya Hazra of ScoopWhoop, make "Rocket Boys" a biopic Bollywood should take inspiration from. It went on to say that seeing the historic event unfold, even on television, was an emotional and proud experience, and that the sincerity with which it was presented further enhanced the experience. [] Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh brilliantly support India's empirical history, according to Pinkvilla, which scored their film four out of five stars.
In order to make the overall image more engaging and enjoyable, it was also said that Rocket Boys moves at a regulated speed and gradually develops a plot and its characters. The storyline, casting, and performance are all excellent, but the programme also gets high marks for its production and background music. [] Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh excel in this humanised account of India's finest scientists, making it a magnificent biographical drama that never stops inspiring, according to Outlook, which awarded it a grade of 4.
Arré believed that Rocket Boys did a fantastic job of cinematically depicting and communicating technical aspects to a layperson. [] Also, it was stated that "Rocket Boys" is a significant film to see in order to consider the goals of India's early scientific pioneers and, ideally, to motivate young people. Rocket Boys is a soaring monument to the two cornerstones of India's scientific community, according to Rediff, which awarded it a rating of 4.
"That he [Meghnad Saha] was from a lower caste, and has mostly been forgotten in our popular memory since (on his centenary in 1993, the Narasimha Rao government issued a postage stamp), probably made it more convenient to bury his character in what pretends to be a "true" history and give him a mostly evil, dark, and sinister personality," wrote Shekhar Gupta of The Print in his article titled "Rock In our opinion, this is a crime against history as well as against all the ideas that people like Saha, Bhabha, and Sarabhai held dear. Keep in mind that those amazing scientists were also freedom fighters.
Amrita Shah, the author of Vikram Sarabhai - A Life, criticised the series for rewriting history with fictionalised incidents, portraying India's technological initiatives in space and nuclear energy in a childish manner, and grossly misrepresenting Sarabhai's persona in a way that lessens his importance and lacks nuance. [] The series, according to journalist Gita Aravamudan (wife of Ramabhadran Aravamudan and co-author of ISRO: A Personal History), reduces famous Indian scientists to Bollywood caricatures, omits key dates and events, and creates a fictional A. P. J. Abdul Kalam to fit the plot. She continues by saying that the authentic account of India's nuclear and space projects is far deeper than the fictitious film version, which downplays the technical and scientific parts of their trip.