SonyLIV’s Rocket Boys reinforced Ishwak Singh’s love for science

In SonyLIV’s Rocket Boys (2022), Ishwak Singh plays what is probably his biggest role yet. The actor made his debut in Raanjhanaa (2013) and has acted in films such as Aligarh (2015), Veere Di Wedding (2018) and Malaal (2019).

But it wasn't until he appeared in the Amazon Prime Video web-series Paatal Lok (2020) that he garnered acclaim for his portrayal of Imran Ansari, a junior to jaded policeman Hathiram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat).

Since then he has appeared in the anthologies Unpaused (2020) and Tryst With Destiny (2021). Rocket Boys sees Singh and Jim Sarbh as Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha respectively and shows how these luminaries used their scientific talents to shape the progress of a newly independent nation.

Singh, who took on the challenge of playing the famed physicist, studied science as a student. His passion for the subject and the man made him take a keener interest in the research.

“I read a lot of books on science, especially Indian science, Vikram Sarabhai, and anything important to that period, such as wars, political movements, and just about the lives of the people of that era,” he said.

Delving into the character made him revisit the fundamentals of science to add more credibility to his performance. “I used to be a science student and have always had a keen interest in science," he shared. “Not only for the role, but whenever I had free time, I would go back and study the fundamentals. I read about design and construction. I really had a fun and learning experience while I prepared for the role. Knowing about the specifics and advanced research that these people were conducting was also a fantastic experience. I think if not an actor, I would have been a physicist.”

Rocket Boys features Regina Cassandra as Mrinalini Sarabhai, the famous dancer who was the scientist's wife, and Arjun Radhakrishnan as APJ Abdul Kalam. The series has been directed by Abhay Pannu and produced by Roy Kapur Films' Siddharth Roy Kapur and Emmay Entertainment's Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani.

The eight-episode series premieres tomorrow on SonyLIV.