Rocket Boys is a drama TV series created by Nikkhil Advani and stars Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, and Regina Cassandra, alongside other cast members. The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 50 minutes.
IMDB describes the series as:
The story of two extraordinary men, Jehangir Bhabha and Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, who created history while building India’s future!
– Rocket Boys review does not contain spoilers –
Rocket Boys starts off with a rather arresting show-off between Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai. Even the flashback where Bhabha and Sarabhai meet each other for the first time will glue you to the screen. Maybe it’s Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh’s arresting acting or the taut screenplay – or both – either way, the series will pull you into the story of these brilliant men with ease.
Rocket Boys is delightful. You’d think that a series that is steeped in history would be boring or would drag on. But shockingly, and thankfully, this series is fast-paced and the story is portrayed in such an arresting way that you smile, feel angry and cheer with the enigmatic characters on-screen. Apart from the slightly tough physics discussion, the series also features some heartwarming and inspiring moments from the freedom struggle that will give you goosebumps and sometimes will make you laugh.
The freedom struggle is as much a part of Rocket Boys as making space balloons (I might be paraphrasing the last bit). As India struggles to get independence and then reels in post-independence issues, the series never loses sight of what’s important to it – how the lives of Bhabha and Sarabhai intertwine with each other and how they go through the various ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.
They start off as mentor and mentee but the way their relationship strengthens from the ground up and then invariably reaches a boiling point is something that will interest you thoroughly. Moreover, Sarabhai and Bhabha’s individual personalities, too, are fascinating. How do two people with extremely strong personalities coexist? Well, you’ll have to watch the series to find that out.
There are also elements of love that work into the show. Sarabhai’s love story is a bit corny and frankly, just a smidge claustrophobia-inducing, but Pipsy is the bright star in this show and no one can convince me otherwise. Rocket Boys plays with these different elements brilliantly and the love stories contribute to give the audience a breather from the other heavy parts of the series. The fact that these characters are well-rounded and don’t just think about discovering atomic bombs is great and sucks you right into the story and keeps you there.
Jim Sarbh is the absolute star of this show. The way he portrays Bhabha is absolutely amazing. His diction, his mannerisms and his moods are all a showcase of how scientists are in real life – a bit eccentric, but their hearts are in the right place… most of the time. Personal heartbreaks give this story some much-needed humanity and don’t make it a staunch science-based show. Something like that would really have made this boring. Oh, and watch out for Namit Das here!
Summing up: Rocket Boys
Rocket Boys’ intro itself is just so well made. It makes a striking scene at first where you get excited to watch what comes next. The story is engaging as heck and it pulls you in right from the beginning. The series is short enough to be binged and engaging enough to be not bored out of your mind.
Rocket Boys is streaming on SonyLIV.
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