Filmmakers Nikkhil Advani and Siddharth Roy Kapur are joining hands together for a SonyLIV web series. Rocket Boys that chronicles a dramatic retelling of the lives of India's three brightest scientists — Homi Jehangir Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam — was announced in January with the beginning of its production in Jaipur. While the makers announced that Pataal Lok actor Ishwak Singh will play the role of Sarabhai, the details of the actors assigned to essay the other two have been kept under wraps so far. However, It'll no longer remain a mystery as Peepingmoon.com exclusively reveals the names on board this biographical drama series.
Sources close to the project have informed us that Jim Sarbh — widely known for his acclaimed performances in Neerja, Padmaavat, Made In Heaven and Taish — has been roped in to step into the shoes of Homi Bhabha. Sarbh is said to have signed this show one year back and has taciturnly been prepping hard to get into the skin of the character of Bhabha, colloquially known as the father of the Indian nuclear program. The actor is exploring the real-life based character for the fourth time with this film after Ram Madhvani's Neerja, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat, and Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju.
We have also learned that the makers have signed newbie Arjun Radhakrishnan to play the role of APJ Abdul Kalam in this Abhay Pannu directorial. The actor who has mostly featured in small-budget independent films so far will make his big-outing debut with this human drama as the young aerospace scientist who later goes on to become the 11th president of India. The series set between 1938 to 1964 is said to be dealing with India's space program and its atomic energy program, spread headed by Sarabhai and Bhabha respectively. Billed as one of the most ambitious web series coming out from India, Rocket Boys shows the journey of Homi Bhabha and his friend and protege Vikram Sarabhai, studying their immense contribution towards making India a true scientific superpower.
Emmay Entertainment and Roy Kapur Films' first joint venture, the series is currently being filmed out of Maharashtra following all the safety guidelines. Around 50% shooting is said to have already been completed while the remaining portions that are planned in Mumbai, Cambridge, and London will be filmed once the shooting restrictions are lifted there.