Season 1: Rocket Boys takes on the mammoth task of telling the story of Homi Bhabha – Father of the Indian Nuclear Programme, and Vikram Sarabhai – Father of the Indian Space Programme. Both men went to the University of Cambridge, England, and returned to their homeland to start a scientific revolution. Driven by passion, they achieved great things. Does Rocket Boys manage to capture that greatness? Let’s break it down for you.

It’s 1962 and we see a bunch of scientists arguing over a plan of action at the Department of Atomic Energy, Bombay (now Mumbai), as India is in a state of war with China. It is in this room where we meet nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha, played by Jim Sarbh, and space researcher Vikram Sarabhai, essayed by Ishwak Singh. While Bhabha argues in favour of developing India’s first atom bomb for national security, Sarabhai insists on a diplomatic approach. This tension-filled sequence gives the series an impressive beginning.

It’s true that Bhabha and Sarabhai had contradictory ideas about building India’s scientific base. But the two had a common mission – our country’s progress. This is what brought them together as mentor and mentee. Sarabhai, who was called the ‘lunatic Brown kid’ in college, looked up to Bhabha as the ‘Renaissance man’ behind the Cosmic Ray Research Unit at Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Science. The two started working together, fought the system and British bureaucracy to attain their goals.

Season 2: This second season takes us back in time to examine the contributions, determination, and beliefs of two Indian physicists—Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) and Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (Ishwak Singh)—in transforming India into a nuclear power in the face of imminent global war threats.