Rocket Boys Season 2 Review: Creative Liberties Were Taken For The Drama In The Second Season
Cast: Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, Regina Cassandra, Saba Azad, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Charu Shankar, Namit Das
Director: Abhay Pannu
Streaming Platform: SonyLiv
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Rocket Boys was released in 2022 on Sony Liv. The show tells the story of Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Jehangir Bhabha. Saw it last year for review. Ignoring some things, the show was worth watching. Now the second season has come. How is it, will talk about it. Will start with the story. The second season of the web series Rocket Boys takes forward the story of space and nuclear research in the country from the previous season. There are two scientists. Homi Jehangir Bhabha believes that if India has to move forward as a powerful country, then it should pursue its atomic bomb program with full force.
On the other side is Vikram Sarabhai who wants to change the fate of the common man of the country by sending satellites into space. Both have their own problems in their family life. There are conspiracies of America, pressure, and espionage as well and India, surrounded by Pakistan on one side and China on the other side, starts seeing its helper in Russia. The story also stars CV Raman and APJ Abdul Kalam. The highlight of the season is the 1974 Pokhran test. The undercurrent of the story is Indian politics, in which the layers of Morarji Desai’s inability to become Prime Minister after the death of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru have also been exposed.
Rocket Boys Season 2 Review: The Story Plot
The story of the show takes place in two segments – in 1974 and 1964. Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha’s friendship, and partnership started before the independence of the country. People who deeply love both the sciences. One had to leave rockets named after India in space. The second wanted India to become a nuclear power country. Both of them part ways. Yet they find traces of each other in their personalities and in their work. Along with the passion of these two people, the history of the country also changes and becomes. Sarabhai has personal problems. There are limited resources. After overcoming them, they want to launch India’s satellite. Homi Bhabha planning in closed, dark rooms. So that India has its own nuclear bomb. American intelligence agency CIA is tracing his every move.
After so many restrictions, how these two people can take their passion to its rightful end, is the story of this season. Even though both people were included in the great personalities of Indian history. But boyish enthusiasm remained at every age. They don’t live just by being great people who are worthy of worship. Whatever you do will always be right. These people take the decisions. After that, learn to live with the consequences. The show takes you into their world in such a way that all the myths are shattered. We read about these people in our schoolbooks. But they are just like us. The differences in their lives, whether internal or external, match our lives. The show treats them on a human level. This is a big victory for its writing.
The show is written and directed by Abhay Pannu. He also co-wrote the dialogues with Kausar Munir. The points at which Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha were tried to give a larger-than-life element were done through dialogues only. There is a scene where Homi Bhabha is reading Napoleon’s book. A person comes to him. Without asking, he says that Napoleon will die in this. Homi says:
I am not reading this book for his death. I am reading it for his life.
The web series airing on Sony Liv in the first season, while telling the story of pure scientific achievements, seems to be plunging into the sugar syrup of politics in the second season. The writers of the series have tried to present those things of the country’s politics in front of the audience under the guise of the problems faced by the scientists, which leave the present generation, probably even the previous generations not knowing much. The scene of Homi Jehangir Bhabha, who called the Prime Minister of the country his brother, taking Indira Gandhi aside at the condolence meeting after her death and discussing future politics in her office, reveals the real purpose of this series. The story goes back and forth till Pokhran’s Operation Happy Krishna turns into Smiling Buddha. Starting with a duration of eight hours, the series slowly moves forward for eight episodes and by the time the third episode comes, its heat evaporates.
Rocket Boys Season 2 Review and Analysis
In the second season of the web series Rocket Boys, there are many weaknesses at the level of the story. As soon as the aim of the series moves away from scientific research to familyism in Indian politics, the purpose of making the series seems to be something else. Director Abhay Pannu did an amazing job in the first season of the series. He made a series that was compared to the serial Bharat Ek Khoj aired on Doordarshan. Whenever Rajit Kapoor appeared on the screen as Nehru, a direct rapport of the audience was seen connecting with him. But, after the defeat of China and the demise of Nehru, the story of the series takes a new turn. It no longer focuses only on ISRO’s efforts to make the country a nuclear power or establish its presence in space. Due to such derailment of the story, perhaps the second season has been released so late as Abhay Pannu himself told after the first season that the next season is to be aired on 15 August 2022.
the makers themselves are not sure whether this story of the 60s and 70s will go for the third season or not. The second season of the web series Rocket Boys has deviated from its target. Although like last season, Ishwak Singh and Jim Sarbh are completely engrossed in their characters, this time their characters are not magical as last season. The freshness of the acting of both this time also could not remain the main attraction of this season. Dibyendu Bhattacharya as scientist Raza once again manages to portray the restlessness and yearning of a suspect. Kalam’s character Arjun Radhakrishnan did a great job and TM Karthik’s character Raman also did a good job as the catalyst of the story.
Cassandra was the real winner in terms of acting in Rocket Boys Season 2. Her portrayal of Mrinalini Sarabhai is one of the most engaging aspects of the series. In this character that changes color every moment, Regina has also demonstrated her real acting talent in a powerful way. But Saba Azad has faltered again. Her role as Pipsi, a Parsi woman, does not lend much support to the second season of the web series Rocket Boys. Till last season, people did not know much about him. Now his identity of being Hrithik Roshan’s friend has become so heavy on his own identity that while watching him on screen, Hrithik’s picture keeps on revolving in his mind. And it does not bode well for his future as a capable artist.
Rocket Boys celebrates its boys. Like Vikram Sarabhai, Homi Bhabha, and APJ Abdul Kalam. Those people because of whom India was able to hoist the glory in science. But the show is not only interested in showing the side of its boys. We meet Mrinalini Sarabhai. A talented and hardworking classical dancer. Married to a man of strong passion. Because of that, his dreams got him off the driving seat of the car. His complete identity or rather the sense of identity has become blurred. She is making her place in a world full of boys. We also meet Indira Gandhi. When she did not have power when she was not the Prime Minister. Pandit Nehru falls ill. A person comes to get him signed on the form related to his treatment. But not from Indira but from the man standing near her. That person does not even have a direct relation with Nehru. In the future, we see Indira rising above this thinking and making her mark.
Top-class work has been done here at the level of acting. Even if there were some flaws in the writing itself. Will come to those in a while. When words are not coming out continuously from the mouth of an actor. He was not answering anything. Then he is taking a pose. Weaving the silence, he is saying his words. Sometimes closing his eyes, sometimes widening them, sometimes taking a layer of moisture in them, he is saying something. The best examples of all these things are found in the actors in the show. Especially Homi Bhabha became Jim Sarbh, and Vikram Sarabhai became Ishwak Singh. Looking at the gym, it seems that Homi must have been like this. The man who jumps regardless of the consequences. Quirky sense of humor. Ishwak, who turns into Sarabhai, is seen in control. Seeing them on screen, one stops feeling that one is watching someone act. It just seems that a man is living his life right in front of you.
Rocket Boys Season 2 Review: The Last Words
Creative liberties were taken for the drama in the second season of Rocket Boys. That is, some additions and subtractions were made in the story from our side. Because of that, the show takes the shape of a gripping drama. The first five episodes do not let your attention get diverted. But in the last three episodes, the story starts going off track. The events of the last were taken out in such a hurry that you are not able to invest. Your attention cannot stay in one place. Rocket Boys Season 2 manages to do justice to its first season. If we remove some aspects then it proves to be a drama worth watching.
