Jim Sarbh on playing Homi Bhabha: Role is special because of shared Parsi heritage

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 SonyLIV 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.

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