Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh feature in the key roles in this comedy-drama. The series will focus on the lives of physicists Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, as well as how they contributed to India's space and nuclear energy initiatives. The series will take place between 1938 and 1964 and promises to be both entertaining and educational.
Abhay Pannu, a debutant writer-director, fills a void in popular culture by showcasing the scientific community's achievements in launching India's atomic and space programs into a rarefied orbit after independence.
Abhay has a lot of information to work with, but he makes sure it doesn't get lost among the calculations and lectures. He mostly succeeds in walking the tight line between a pedantic documentary and a chest-thumping exercise.
The scientific and political jargons flow easily into discussions, and the scale corresponds to the weight of the individuals whose tale it portrays. The series successfully transports us to a time when a nation based on bullock carts was attempting to leap. The smell of chalk and an adventurous spirit pervades the classrooms, labs, equipment, and entire ambiance. When the larger guys play with their toys, contagious energy emerges that is difficult to define, but the goosebumps aren't easy to deny either.
The focus is on Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) and Sarabhai among the broad canvas that spans decades before and after 1947. (Ishwak Singh). The plot is around how they progress from a student-teacher relationship to a life-long friendship and, in the process, inform each other's world views. Bhabha abandons his individualistic style in the face of Sarabhai, instilling worldly confidence in the ostensibly docile Sarabhai. Their casual exchanges provide insight into the role of scientists in society.
The use of imaginary characters and creative license does not detract from the plot. What we get to see are the human faces behind the great scientists, with their foibles and shortcomings. Sarabhai's inability to discern the narrow border between art and science, or his struggle to comprehend his extremely gifted wife's objectives, reveal the bright persona's limitations.
Similarly, Bhabha's inorganic link with Parvana Irani (Saba Azad) provides insight into the times and how circumstances may destroy relationships.
Dibyendu Bhattacharya, who plays the imaginary unhappy scientist Mehdi Raza, is a pleasant foil for Sarbh. Regina and Dibyendu each hold their own in front of Sarbh, adding much-needed depth to the proceedings. Arjun Radhakrishnan's physical presence may not rival that of Kalam, but his sincere performance more than makes up for it.
Abhay's human touch puts this rocket of a series on the right course, just as Sarabhai and Bhabha's manual intervention did.