Exclusive! Jim Sarbh spills the beans on how he prepared for the role of Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys

Jim Sarbh is all geared up as the trailer of his upcoming web series Rocket Boys was recently unveiled. The actor will be seen as Homi Bhabha in the show. Free Press Journal caught up with him for an exclusive conversation. He is known to play out-of-the-box roles and have an unconventional approach to a character he picks. However, he feels otherwise; he says, “That’s not entirely true. I have become picky in the last two to three years. Before that, I did almost everything that was offered to me. After Neerja, I was loaded with offers, and since I wanted to act, I kept saying yes. But now it has changed for me.”

When asked what kind of prep he underwent to play Homi Bhabha, he shares, “For me, it was like danger, in general, to think about history as we think they were primitive with a complicated structure. So, I tried not to think about the legacy of Homi Bhabha and just play as to how he must have reacted in the moment. I have read things and heard what people have spoken about him. His irreverence, wicked sense of humour, gentlemanliness and intensity was great. He used to play the violin, was interested in physics, astronomy and had written books on culture. It’s phenomenal and inspiring.”

Elaborating on how he played the role, he adds, “I tried not to think of it as a responsibility. I got back to thinking about my film Neerja, where she was like a hero. Actually, she was just a girl trying to be brave. The writers of the show had done immense research about these people keeping the historical facts in place.”

Unlike most Bollywood actors, Jim has yet to dance around trees. When we ask him if we will get to see him do this in any of his upcoming projects, he states, “No, I don’t think so. I love lip-syncing. I enjoyed doing Binte Dil song from Padmaavat, and there’s a bit of dancing in Taish too during the shoot of a wedding sequence.”

On a parting note, Jim spills the beans on his acting wishlist. “I can’t wait to do a whacky comedy. I would love to be a part of a film like Looop Lapeta, which is also releasing with Rocket Boys digitally,” he concludes.