Abhay Pannu is making his directorial debut with Rocket Boys. The web series stars Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh and Regina Cassandra in lead roles. It will begin streaming on SonyLIV from February 4 onwards. In an exclusive conversation with the Free Press Journal, he talks about the show, its cast and more.
The web series is based on Dr. Homi Bhabha and Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s passion for creating a modern scientific India. When asked about the challenges he faced, Abhay says, “The biggest challenge in telling a story set in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s is ensuring that the audience watching the show in 2022 relate with the challenges, aspirations and dreams of the characters of the story. I wanted to tell stories of great scientific achievement through an emotional lens. I wanted to humanise these legends and not show cardboard characters. Hopefully, the audience will connect with the humanity of these great men along with their success and sacrifice.”
According to the show’s producer Siddharth Roy Kapur and Creator and Nikkhil Advani, Abhay is the apple of their eyes. “Both Nikkhil and Siddharth have been extremely kind to me, almost to a fault! Honestly, I feel really lucky to have such a wonderful mentor in Nikkhil who has guided me through this process and trusted me so implicitly. Everything I know about filmmaking, I have learnt from him. I am so very grateful to him, Siddharth, Madhu Bhojwani and Monisha Advani for giving me this opportunity,” he gushes.
Abhay Pannu with the team of Rocket Boys | Pic: Instagram/pannuabhay
Opening up about his experience of working with Jim, Ishwak and Regina, he shares, “With Jim, it is the most collaborative, immersive and gratifying experience. I can honestly say that this is one of his finest performances! His dedication and passion really shine through in every frame of the show. Ishwak, on the other hand, is one of the most hard-working actors I have come across. He handled every nuance so beautifully, be it the role of a scientist, a friend, a son, a husband or a father. Regina was a complete surprise! While a lot of the actors relied on rehearsals, Regina blew us away with her spontaneity and charm!”
Despite the magnitude of his directorial debut Abhay wasn’t nervous. “I would say I was more excited than nervous. It was such a challenging show! We have the responsibility of portraying some of our greatest scientists as well as exploring their personal lives, along with the nation’s history…. with the backdrop of independence and a great war! Simply trying to put these pieces together became my single-minded focus, so maybe I forgot about the nerves,” he states.
Abhay is looking forward to his upcoming projects. “We go into Season 2 right away, so for now, my life will continue to be governed by Rocket Boys. But I have a few ideas that I want to start writing and developing, given that Nikkhil and Sid still want to work with me, hopefully,” he concludes.
